Critical Review
by Moonlight Usagi-Chan
Summary: Serena Thompson is a food critic for inTokyo, Tokyo's number one travel and tourism magazine. Her current assignment: Zwei Towers, part-owned by business investor Darien Shields. Can the love of food overpower the distain she has for the crude businessman? Can Darien put aside his cool exterior and see the passion and opportunities that Serena has to offer?
1. Chapter 1

_If you thought_ _I vividly described the croutons in the Caesar Salad, just wait, because the chicken cutlet sandwich, though modest and to-the-point in title, is an explosion of flavor once it touches your tastebuds._

Serena leaned back with a smile as she thought back to her lunch, a breaded chicken cutlet sandwich. At least, that is what an average lunch-goer would call it. To Serena, it was a masterpiece: breaded with panko that was pan fried just right to reach a beautiful golden brown, dressed with fresh sprigs of spicy arugula, crisp red onion rings, and a slice of tomato all atop a freshly baked ciabatta roll that had a house made lemon garlic aioli spread thickly on the top bun. When she bit into it, no longer was her meal considered just a chicken sandwich; it was going to be featured in her review of the restaurant.

Growing up, food was Serena's pastime. Her friends mercifully teased her for her ridiculous eating habits, wondering how on earth a teenager could shovel down a burger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake on a daily basis without gaining weight or health issues. As she matured, her love for food only diversified, learning to pair meals with wines and trying different cultural meals she once would turn her nose up at in childlike defiance. One day, when at college she suddenly had an epiphany as she exuberantly described her dinner from the cafeteria; she should become a food critic! Her steel stomach and endless appetite could handle any meal, and her passion for telling anyone who would listen about her meal would actually be appreciated. No sooner did she change her major to journalism with a minor in creative writing did she begin an online blog, which took off with great success. When she graduated, she had accepted an offer to become Tokyo's number one magazine, inTokyo, newest food critic. Three years later, she still found as much passion and joy in her job, especially when it came to putting a new restaurant on the map. It was an amazing feeling knowing that not only was she living out her dream, but also she could help entrepreneur's make their dreams come true as well.

As her fingers continued to click against the keyboard of her MacBook, she glanced at her desk calendar to see which restaurant she would be trying out next. _Zwei Towers_ her handwriting reminded her, to which she paused from her typing. "Zwei Towers?" she said aloud before puckering her lips in wonder. She ran her fingers through her blonde bangs as she tried to recall any mention of Zwei Towers, but none came to mind. She shrugged before opening up Safari, knowing her memory was never that great, partially due to her high demand in the area. After performing a quick Google search, she reached their webpage, black text boxes and posh images staring back at her. "Great," she mumbled as she perused the website. "Trendy and overdone," she sighed as she looked through photos of the restaurant, its modern black booths and silver décor showing up in every photo. Going to restaurants like these were the worst; overpriced, overcooked, and underappreciated staff. Only a small handful of places like this survive, that is if their food is even any good. She learned quickly that the flashy exterior often was at the expense of cheap meats, undertrained chefs, and a businessperson who suddenly "wants a restaurant venture on his portfolio." Only one or two places in the area received a fine review from Serena while the rest fell short of mediocrity. She hated writing bad reviews, but sending patrons to a place where their money and business was unappreciated allowed her to work through disappointing business owners.

She stretched her arms over her head, letting them come to rest atop her head. Taking in the welcoming stretch, she thought about what she would do to try to set this restaurant apart from those in the past that disappointed. Every place deserved an unbiased opinion when walking through the doors, Serena firmly believed. She glanced at the menu, noting a lemon artichoke soup as an appetizer that sounded unique and tasteful. Pulling over a pad of paper, she scribbled down the item, adding to it truffle risotto and in-house mango sorbet to the list. Curiosity satisfied, she clicked out of the website and pulled up her Word document, daydreaming about the balsamic vinaigrette she drizzled on her leafy lettuce side salad, its thickness delivering a pungent flavor of herbs and flavor that you only needed a small amount to savor it. With calories and fat content concerns nowadays, finding a salad dressing that delivers so much flavor in such a small amount was a gem nowadays, especially amongst the fitness friendly. She smiled as she continued through her glowing review, making final revisions and sending a first draft to her editor. She closed her laptop with a content sigh before picking up her phone.

"Hey, Mina," Serena replied to Mina's overly chipper "hey doll" when she answered.

"What's up? Please tell me you're asking me to tag along with you tomorrow!" Mina asked on the other end of the phone. Serena laughed; Mina loved food almost as much as Serena and took any opportunity to join her.

"You know me to well," Serena replied as she leaned back into the chair, propping her legs onto her desk. "Ever heard of Zwei Towers?"

"Oh yes, that's in the financial district! Many business executives go there. I've been trying to get Mally to take me, but he won't do it," Mina pouted as she mentioned her stock broker boyfriend, Malachite. "Honestly, you'd think he would take my advice since my BFF is _the_ food mongrel of Tokyo, but nope!"

"All the more reason for you to come with me; free lunch AND if it's any good, bragging rights about being right!"

"Love it! Do you want me to meet you there or swing by your place first?"

"Let's meet there; I have to stop by the office in the morning to pick up my edits," Serena replied as she mentally mapped out her day. "11:30 sound good? Get in before the lunch rush?"

"Sure thing! What do we wear?" Mina asked, resulting in Serena opening her laptop again and click back to the website.

"I don't see anything about a dress code. I say we arrive dressed how we normally do. Not yoga pants, but no need to get dressed up," Serena figured. She clicked around further to see if it was business professional or casual only, but no such advisory came up. She was a little surprised, since most places like this require shirt and jacket for men or slacks or dresses for women. She pursed her lips and nodded in silent appreciation; maybe the relaxed dress code for a modern, chic restaurant would be the thing to set them apart from the restaurant. After a few minutes of additional searching just to be sure, she exited back out of the website, her question unanswered.

"See you then! Love ya! Bye!" Mina enthusiastically said as she ended their call. Placing her phone down, Serena stood up out of her chair and walked over to the window, looking out toward the financial district. She was so happy to have found an apartment in the city with such a view. Her cat, Luna, rested on the windowsill, mutually enjoying the twinkling of lights emitting from the high-rises and stars alike. She smiled as she scratched Luna's head, her soft gaze settled on the horizon.

"More food tomorrow, Luna," Serena said happily to her cat, who was purring in response to the affection. "Tomorrow will be a busy morning and afternoon, so please make sure you don't let me sleep in!" She laughed as she grabbed her phone and set her alarm for 6:00, knowing that if she did not leave her apartment by 7:00 she would be running behind for every appointment. Tossing a glance at the time, she let out a yawn even though it was only 6:00. "Luna I don't want to work out tomorrow," she grimaced, knowing that she had her kickboxing class at 7:30 in the morning with Raye and Lita. "I hate working out so much," she whined to herself, even though she knew she could do nothing about it. 27-year-old Serena versus 14-year-old Serena meant that fitness needed to be an active part of her life if she was going to eat and write for a living. Besides, sprinting to school for being late was not exactly part of her world anymore, so she resorted to 60 minutes of pure misery with two of her best friends. If anyone could whip someone in to shape, it would be Lita. Her fitness programs worked magic, so much that she was surprised she was not yet roped into a workout video contract yet. People were on waitlists trying to join her classes. She and Raye definitely had Lita to thank for keeping their bodies so thin. Not like Raye needed it, on a fitness level, at least; as an attorney, she used kickboxing to let out pent-up frustrations from the duties of her work pressure.

She looked back at the kitchen, debating if she wanted to make a light dinner to give her some energy to do something into the evening, but her appetite was undemanding due to her large lunch. She quickly dismissed the idea and turned on the television, letting herself slip into mindless humor as she snuggled into her couch.

* * *

"My legs, I can't feel them," Serena whined as she leaned against a wall, her thighs quivering from the intensity they just worked out. She lowered her head, her ponytail feeling much too heavy as its weight swing from side to side.

"Shut, your, face," Raye panted as she pressed against the wall for support, trying to regain her breath, her black hair tumbling over her shoulders. Lita introduced a new workout routine in their boot camp, one that neither were forewarned. Raye continued to send murderous glares Lita's way, who simply grinned as she jogged over energetically to the girls.

"Hiya!" she gleefully exclaimed as she tossed her chestnut ponytail behind her shoulder. "You loved it, right?!" Lita's jade eyes were full of laughter as she taunted the girls with her sugary sweet question, knowing exactly how much they wanted to yell at her right now.

"I… would punch you, if… I… had… energy," Raye said between deep breaths, causing Lita to bellow out in laughter.

"Oh Raye, you know you needed that!" Lita said as she stretched her arms out over her head. "After all, don't you have a preliminary hearing today?"

"Oh… fuck…" Raye said again, less winded but just as miserable. Her head dipped lower. "I don't want to go to work today," she grimaced.

"Want to stay here and go another round?" Lita asked as she slapped Raye on the back, causing her to wince in pain.

"I'd rather die a thousand deaths than flip a 25 pound weight up and down the length of the gym ever again," she exclaimed with sparks in her eyes.

"I'd better get a seriously sexy back for that horrific addition to your workout, Lita," Serena whimpered as she raised her water bottle to her lips, drinking in the cool liquid.

"Back? Please, you will be amazed at what that is going to do for not just your upper body strength, but also your legs. Full body workout baby. You'll be tender tomorrow!" She grinned as she placed her arms on her hips.

"Bitch!" Raye exclaimed as she stood up straight, already feeling the soreness of the workout.

"Yea, yea," Lita dismissed her name-calling with a wave. "Any who, don't forget to hydrate, girls. See you on Friday, right?"

"You bet. I am so in need of a girl's night it's not even funny," Serena nodded as cosmopolitans swirled around her head in daydream.

"I meant for class, hun. But yes, girl's night too, can't wait!" Lita laughed as she scampered off as Raye endearingly called her a bitch yet again.

"Ok, I'm going to attempt to walk over to the locker room and shower. You changing here or at home?" Raye said as she gingerly stretched out her muscles. Serena looked up at the clock, seeing it was a little past 8:30.

"Looks like I have time to head home first and take a shower there before I meet with Audrey at 10:30. I'm actually meeting Mina at Zwei Towers today at 11:30 for lunch for a review," Serena stated as she picked up her gym back and slung it over her shoulders.

"Oh? I have been there before for drinks. They have a really nice bar! We should try them out for girl's night!" Raye exclaimed.

Serena shrugged. "Let's see how my review goes first, I do not need any owners screaming at me if I give them a bad review while I have a drink or two in me," she winked.

"Fair enough," Raye said as she picked her bag up. "See you Friday morning for another round of Hell?"

Serena grimaced. "I'll be here unfortunately. Good luck today!"

Raye waved as they separated, making her way to the locker room while Serena exited the studio. She took in a deep breath of the warm spring air before making her way down the walkway, her apartment only five blocks away from the studio. No sooner did she arrive home did she freshen up, deciding on a maroon sundress atop a flowy white top accessorized with a feathery pendant and some strappy sandals. After adding some light makeup, she made her way back out to the world, stopping at her office to pick up her editors notes before continuing onward to Zwei Towers. She arrived at 11:25, an overly animated Mina waving in excitement, dressed to kill in a white patterned tank top and sunny yellow pants that almost matched her long hair.

"Serena, I am so excited! I was looking at their website last night and they are _so_ trendy. It's like they took a restaurant out of Hollywood and stuck it here in Tokyo!" Mina exclaimed as she linked arms with Serena, guiding her into the high-rise business tower. They looked around for signage to the restaurant, indicating it was on the 25th floor. Serena was briefly impressed, knowing her love of landscapes, but continued to keep her focus on her job as Mina idly chatted away about how lavish and posh this establishment must be.

The elevator decelerated as they arrived to the 25th floor, and when the doors sprung open, they were greeted with abstract metallic designs popping out against black on black. It had a modern design, with its oblong shaped booths and exposed piping, but it felt a little cold. This was definitely an establishment for someone with a trendy personality, which Serena did not possess. Mina, however, was drinking it in, complementing everything from the different shades of black to the contrast of the metals in the artwork. At that moment, she was glad to bring Mina to add a different perspective; just because she did not personally like the look did not mean it wouldn't be attractive to someone else. Besides, her job was to judge the food, not the look.

After discussing the look, they noticed there was no one at the hostess stand. Serena looked at her Apple watch, noting that it was after 11:30, and finding the lack of staff quite odd before a lunch rush. Soon enough she saw a young man, dressed all in black, whispering to a gentleman in the corner, who was looking at them with a piercing gaze. Serena's eye caught his and met with an intense shade of cobalt staring her down that she shivered. She had never seen eyes so deep in color before! He stood up and began to make his way over to her, allowing her to check him out. He was dressed to kill in a charcoal gray suit, crisp white shirt with an inky navy tie. He had jet-black hair, which was parted at the side and styled back and a clean shaved, sculpted jawline that Serena's hands itched to trace with her fingertips. As he neared, she could see he was a good foot taller than her, who stood at 5'3", with an olive skin tone that looked straight out of the Mediterranean. She instantly felt herself turned on to him, but for the sake of professionalism she tried to shut down. Desire began to pool in her system as his handsome features became more clear the closer he became. She tried to ignore her body's signals; damn being single for six months. Maybe if the review went well she could try and approach him on a personal level.

"Excuse me, but can I help you?" he asked as he was in closing distance of the two girls.

"Yes, we would like a table, please," Serena stammered, trying to avoid picturing what he would look like naked. Dear God, he was like sex on legs! She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she was about to introduce herself as the food critic, but he spoke first.

"I am sorry, but we cannot seat you," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Excuse me?" Serena replied with surprise in her voice. She raised an eyebrow at him, his attractiveness suddenly ceasing as he spoke.

"You are not dressed appropriately to be in this establishment. We only allow those in business professional, and as you can tell, you clearly are not dressed to be in this place. I suggest you find a Panera Bread or a Starbucks if you wish to obviously check out potential mates on their lunch breaks," he coolly stated. "Now if you will excuse me," he stated as he motioned for them to leave.

"What did you just say to me?" Serena rhetorically asked, looking at this smug man with distain. "How dare you insult my friend and I! First off, nowhere does anything mention any type off dress code, and secondly, I am Serena Thompson, the food critic for inTokyo who was assigned to have lunch here, which clearly we will no longer be doing so. Mina, come on, let's go," she said as she turned around to leave, not watching the look on the handsome man's face at what he had just done.

"Food critic? Please! You look like you are barely out of college, yet you are telling me you are the number one food critic in Tokyo? I highly doubt that," he sneered as she turned back to look at him, appalled.

"Google me tomorrow, dickweed, and you'll see my picture show up rather quickly, next to the name of this place with one hell of a tarnishing review," she retorted as she pressed the button for the elevator. "Let's get out of here and find ourselves a Panera like this jackass insisted," she sarcastically said to Mina.

The doors sprung open and she hastily stepped inside, eager to get away from the infuriating man. Just as Serena was pressing the button for the lobby, she watched as he stared at his phone realizing his mistake. He looked up wide-eyed at her, but it was too late for him; the doors sprung shut just as he began to make his way to the elevator.

"What a jerk," Mina said as she flung her hair over her shoulders. "So what if I checked him out? He was hot! But with that attitude? Hell no would I ever consider doing anything with him."

"Seriously! He was such an ass. I never, ever want to see him again," Serena stated as she crossed her arms in insult. No one treated her with such disrespect and got away with it, and she had the byline to make sure of it.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for the reviews! I am so excited to have some motivation for the first time in a long time writing a story, and it's great receiving feedback! Please continue to offer your suggestions, I do read your comments and would love to hear what you think.

Also, PLEASE feel free to correct me on grammatical/spelling/redundant word errors. I work at an accounting firm and I'm using my lunch breaks to get my idea's out of my head and onto virtual paper so I may miss a few things here and there. Thanks :D

* * *

Serena huffed as she stormed out of the complex double doors, stomping her foot in overdramatized fury. "The nerve of that ass!" she belted out loudly, not caring at the looks passer-buyers tossed her as they breezed by her. Mina put her hand on her shoulder gently, trying to ease the ferocity that Serena was showcasing.

"I know you're mad, Sere, but maybe you're a little too worked up about this? It's only a dress code error. Sure, that guy was an ass and deserved to be put in his place, but you were a little intense there. I mean you _did_ call that guy a dickweed, after all." Serena grimaced; Mina's words were sobering. Controlling her feelings a bit, she took a few deep breaths before speaking.

"Ok, you're right, I did let my emotions get a bit out of control there. I just can't _stand_ places like that! They think that they are so 'above' the everyday person that I can't help but feel biased to them. I mean, look at us, it's not like we stepped out of the gym and arrived in our sweats. Just because we don't have a suit jacket on isn't a reason to toss someone out," she vented.

"You sure you didn't see anything on their website?" Mina asked. "For such a reaction from that guy it seems odd that it wouldn't be on there."

"I'm positive, Min; that's why I was so thrown off-guard at that guy's response. I know places like that normally do require a dress code, which is why I kept clicking around their website to confirm that. Either way though, that guy didn't need to be so rude about it." With that final sentiment, Serena crossed her arms.

"You are absolutely right-" a voice interjected "-and I am so sorry at the way I behaved." Both girls spun around, Mister Tall-Dark-and-Asshole standing beside them. "I had no right to make such assumptions. Please forgive me."

Serena pursed her lips, her arms still crossed as she looked at him with mistrusting eyes. "You're only apologizing because you Googled me, aren't you?" she asked with one eyebrow raised. He frowned.

"No; honestly, I didn't mean to come off so presumptuous. Tensions were running high knowing that, well, you were coming, and I don't work at the restaurant on a daily basis, so I let my misguided opinions take over. Please accept my apology," he asked again. Serena looked over at Mina, who gave a slight nod of encouragement. Serena looked back at the suit, considering on what to say next.

"Fine, but only because I let my temper get the better of me as well," Serena eventually said, watching as the Suit visibly relaxed at her verbiage. "But you seriously need to update your website. I did not know of any dress code when I checked your page to make sure I was showing up I appropriately dressed. There is nothing indicating any sort of required attire anywhere."

"Of course, I will discuss it with my marketing department and have that fixed right away. Now, ladies, can I please invite you back upstairs? I will have our chefs prepare you the best lunch in the city," he purred, extending his arm to guide the ladies back into the building. Mina was about to take a step, but Serena extended her arm to stop her.

"No, that will not be happening today, Sir," Serena stated. Mina and the man both looked at her with surprise at the decline.

"May I be so bold as to ask why the hell not? I mean, I apologized," he inquired, his eyebrows narrowing. Mina stood off to the side, her mouth pressed thin with her opinions.

"And I accepted your apology, but if I come back in there right now, I know you're going to go over whatever meal we order with a fine-tooth comb. Your meal won't be genuine," she explained.

"Of course it will be!" he retorted, clearly frustrated.

"Listen, this isn't my first rodeo. I am not doing the review today. I am sorry, but after our interaction, it would be a biased review and I'm not going put out any sort of false work," Serena briefly explained. "I will come back at a later time, when enough time has passed to forget this," she paused, "incident occurred. It will be at random, unannounced, and I hope to see improvements when I return. And I, in exchange, will come back with no misguided opinion or bias, and will give you an honest and fair review."

Serena watched as he processed her words, visibly disappointed. "Understood," he eventually replied. She nodded in confirmation.

"Thank you. I just realized that I didn't catch your name," Serena alluded as she reached in to offer a handshake.

"Darien Shields," he replied curtly as he gave her a brief shake. He produced a business card out of his pocket and passed it along to her, which Serena accepted, quickly glancing at the contact information. "If you wish to inform me of your impending arrival, or have any questions, please contact me," he assured. She nodded in response, tucking it into her portfolio. "If you will excuse me. Have a nice afternoon, ladies," he concluded as he turned to walk away.

"Damn, he may be an ass, but he has a mighty fine ass," Mina whispered when he was out of earshot, to which Serena let out an amused snort of a laugh. "But seriously, you think you'll go back?"

Serena smiled back at Mina with a calculated grin. "Oh, yes," she replied, "starting off with girls' night on Friday. Let's see how quickly he can rebound after that one."

"Oh ho ho," Mina laughed behind her hand in amusement as Serena crossed her arms in wicked delight. Oh yes, she would be returning… in less than 72 hours. She pulled Darien's business card back out, looking at the unimpressive simplicity of it.

"See what I mean?" Serena flicked her card over to Mina, who grabbed it and stared at it in confusion, her eyebrow raised in question. "Another businessman wanting a restaurant on his portfolio!" she exclaimed, tossing her hands up in the air before making her way down the walkway, Mina following behind.

* * *

Serena sat back in her couch, phone in hand as she added Raye, Lita, and Mina to a group text.

 _Zwei Towers for ladies night? Raye says they have a killer bar!_

It didn't take long for a response to populate.

Raye: I though you didn't want to go there due to your review.

 _Review is on hold -_-_

Mina: LOL OMG Raye you've GOT to hear this one! BAHAHA. Serena and the restaurant dude got into a huge beef! Now she's gonna go ahead and surprise him!

Lita: Serena what did you do now?

Raye: WTF happened?

 _Long story short: quasi-restaurant entrepreneur informed me I wasn't up to dress code. I called him an ass and informed him I was the critic. He apologized and tried to coax me back in and I told him no. Now it's time for a surprise visit ;)_

Mina: DUDE. Sere called him a DICKWEED XD

Raye: SERIOUSLY?

Lita: SERENA! THAT'S SO RUDE!

Mina: OMG Sere you're my hero. Dickweed? I can't stop laughing!

 _He deserved it! Listen, we made amends, but I need to sneak up on him. Please, girls? First round is on me if you will join me for some espionage!_

Raye: I'm game. Their drinks are good.

Lita: Ok, fine.

Mina: I'll never turn down free booze.

 _Awesome. 9:00? Dress code is business casual._

Serena continued to type into her phone, concluding her planning with the girls and moving on to television. After some brief channel surfing, she decided on a crime show, but quickly lost interest. Curiosity knocking, she grabbed her phone and opened up her browser. _Darien Shields Tokyo_ she typed in to the search bar, and in no time were images and links of articles of the successful businessman splashed on her phone. Briefly impressed, she thumbed through the image results, often times seeing him standing next to some new real estate development, or photographed with a state leader. A couple of images had him posed next to some gorgeous model, which made her frown with insecurity. No wonder he was so quick to judge her state of dress if he was used to women looking as fierce as the ones in the photo. She did quickly notice, however, that the women in the photos quickly shuffled. _Playboy I bet,_ she mentally scoffed. Tired of the images, she clicked back to the web results, opening up various links to his success in the real estate community. The Mayor had praised him of being a "brilliant young man, gifted with finding success in each property he acquires." Just as she was about to close the browser, she saw the title of the restaurant in one of the titles, to which she promptly clicked on. There he stood in all his magnificence, photographed with a petite woman whose hair was an odd strange of black that it had a blue hue to it. Zooming, in, Serena read the caption: _Investor Darien Shield and his sister, Ami Mizuno-Shields, Owner of Zwei Towers (financial district) on opening day._ A smile twitched at the corners of Serena's lips, her conscious wanting to feel bad for being so quick to lose her temper. Clearly Darien helped his sister achieve her dream in opening her restaurant rather than being who Serena had assumed he would be: another portfolio expander. Exiting out of the browser, Serena debated if her espionage girls' night was just, but quickly shrugged it off. She would just treat it as a girls' night rather than a "check-up on the site" like she had initially planned it to be. It wasn't fair to the real owner, Ami, for her to do otherwise.

* * *

Serena smoothed out the imaginary wrinkle in her abdomen as she stood in front of the full-length mirror, having decided on a sleeveless heather-gray form fitting dress that fell just above the knee for her girls' night attire. She accented it with a slender black belt with a chunky gold buckle, giving the outfit a little flash of color. Bored with leaving her hair down, she parted and braided her long hair into twin buns, adding a bit of youthful flare to her posh outfit. Since the dress was high-collared, Serena decided on a pair of simple white-gold hoops and a couple of bangles on her wrist for jewelry before concluding the look with a pair of simple black pumps. Serena nodded in approval, but felt the corner of her lip twitch with sinister glee. Sure, she looked like a respectable businesswoman, but she knew that she was dancing on a fine line with the hairstyle she created. It wasn't sloppy, but it wasn't anything you would normally see a woman in her late twenties wear. A small giggle raised in the back of her throat; that was just Serena's personality. She may be 27, but at heart she was still the teenager who loved food, overslept, and participating in the occasional childlike behavior. It kept her personality young, after all!

Serena looked down at her phone after it let out a ding, advising her that her Uber had arrived. Grabbing her clutch, she descended the building and out into the unseasonably warm May evening, silently praising herself for not lugging a jacket or cardigan around on such a beautiful night. Soon the Uber merged into traffic and she made her way to the building, to which she was the last to arrive. Mina was dressed in a formfitting white dress splashed with hues of fuchsia, tangerine, and yellow with a high collar, similar to Serena's, to which she paired with large gold bangles and a pair of white sling-back pumps. Raye was the modest one, wearing a fire-red sleeveless blouse that was accented with ruffles that accented her figure. She paired it with a black pencil skirt and black pumps, her hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. Lita, the ever-so-confident one, was dressed to kill with a cold-shoulder dress that had a modest cut in the cleavage, which she had no problem filling out. The chestnut colored dress cinched in at her waist before cascading down her legs, falling down her endless legs that were accentuated even more with her strappy wedges. Serena had on a huge smile as she stepped out of the car, knowing her and the girls were looking fine tonight! They all shared a giddy smile as they turned around to enter the establishment, excited to spend some much needed quality time together.

"Hold the door please!" Mina excitedly shouted as she impressively ran over to the doors, sticking her clutch in between to keep them from shutting. Sure enough two young men were standing inside, their glances indicating that they were more than willing to wait for the girls. Soon they filed in, all individuals heading up to the restaurant, a silence filling the elevator as the girls stood closely to one another, aware of the two men checking them out.

"Hey Sere, maybe this time you won't get kicked out of the restaurant," Mina chuckled as they ascended the high-rise.

"What's with the hairdo anyway?" Raye asked, poking one of the blonde balls on the side of Serena's head.

"I felt like doing something different," she shrugged with a smile.

"I think it looks good on you," one of the two men chimed in, to which Serena turned around with a flirty smile.

"You think?" she playfully asked, batting her eyelashes confidently. Her smile grew as she watched him fumble over his words, nodding as he clearly could not find his voice. Lita and Raye held back their laughter, whereas Mina tossed Serena a huge grin that shouted "you go girl!" Shortly thereafter the elevator stopped and the doors sprung open, to which the girls entered into the establishment. A brief sour taste entered Serena's system, but she squashed it down quickly, determined to not let the other day manifest. Tonight was simply a night out; the only judgment would be reserved for the quality of the drinks and the attractiveness of the men.

After a few minutes (and no issues getting in!), the girls secured a table and ordered a round of cosmopolitans. Serena's eyes wandered, hopeful to find someone she could enjoy as some eye candy tonight as she chatted away with her girls. Unfortunately, no one was jumping out, but the night was still young. Turning away from the crowd, she looked back at her best friends with a smile.

"So, thoughts so far?"

"It's a little too much for my liking, but it's not bad," Lita contributed as she accepted the drink from the waitress, dressed entirely in black. "I'm not too sure I like the industrial look."

"Yeah, that's my sentiments exactly," Serena agreed as she took a sip of her drink. "This, however, makes up for it, in my opinion," she added, impressed by the taste of the drink.

"Oh, that is yummy!" Mina exclaimed as she continuously sipped her own Cosmo, enjoying its fruity flavor. A chorus of agreement rang out amongst the girls before they fell into idle chit chat about the ongoing of their daily lives.

Time started to pass, and soon the bar crowd began to thicken. Serena's wandering eyes continuously made their way to the crowd, but so far no one perked her interest. She unknowingly pouted. A few drinks in, she wouldn't mind having some male-female conversation for a moment or two.

"You expecting someone?" Raye called Serena out, who tore her attention from the crowd back to the table.

"No, just checking out the prospects," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Nothing impressive out there tonight."

"Yeah, because tall, dark and handsome isn't out there," Mina nudged Serena, who shot her a glance.

"As if!" she replied, raising her drink to her lips before finishing off the contents. "I wouldn't flirt with that man if he was the last asshole on earth!"

"Let us know how you really fell about him," Lita grinned into her drink. "Meanwhile, I am really feeling that hot piece of ass over there. God, he might even be taller than me, which we all know is an instant A+ for me." The girls quickly looked over, to which Mina began laughing and Serena began fuming. "No shit, please don't tell me that's him!"

"Oh yes!" both girls replied, both on different pitch levels. Mina couldn't stop laughing, meanwhile Serena grumbled in annoyance. Her annoyance was quickly displaced by internal panic as she watched Darien turn and look at their group, no thanks to Mina's piercing decibel that spanned across the bar. She looked away quickly, but watched in her peripheral as he casted a knowing look of identification confirmation their way, to which he finished his drink and stood up. Serena felt herself go as stiff as a board; clearly he was coming over to their table.

"Good job, Mina," she grumbled, to which Mina sent her looks of apology. Raye and Lita stared down into their glasses as all were aware of the male making their way to the table.

"Hello there, ladies," Darien greeted, his deep voice melting over the brief awkward silence that had filled the tables. "I am the owner of this establishment and I wanted to see if there was anything I could do enhance your night tonight." Serena looked around the table, Raye and Lita clearly batting their eyelashes at him while Mina continued to look at her glass.

"I think I could use another drink. After all, I think they're outstanding," Lita replied as she leaned over the table, giving him a sly grin as she exposed part of her generous bosom his way. He returned a friendly smile her way while waving the waitress to come to the table.

"Molly, please refill these ladies drinks," he politely instructed, to which the waitress nodded and scurried away. Serena continued to stay mute as her two friends obviously fawned over him. _Traitors_ , she mentally mumbled. Soon enough, his eyes made contact with hers, to which she felt her eyes slightly widen in awareness.

"Serena," he acknowledged.

"Darien," she replied.

"Nice to see that you were willing to return, and so quickly," he added.

"Well, Raye here was so insistent on coming here for drinks, so I figured why not," she shrugged, to which Raye raised an eyebrow at her white lie.

"Well, I'm so glad you were open to returning. I hope everything fares well," he said in businesslike fashion, clearly flattering her. Serena, however, was in no mood for flattery.

"I'm not telling you if or when I'm returning," she said flatly, to which his mouth pressed in a thin line.

"I wasn't asking you to tell me," he coolly replied, the trace of sweet talk gone.

"Oh you weren't?" she challenged. She briefly saw the girls tossing her looks telling her to knock it off, but the disrespect from the other day began to creep up, to which she was having a hard time controlling her tongue.

"No, Serena, I wasn't. I was simply asking if you were having a decent time," he carefully replied, to which she snorted.

"Yeah right!" she accosted.

"Serena!" the girls replied in horror.

"Excuse me," Darien said in annoyance as he dismissed himself from the girls table, to which the girls shot Serena scolding glares.

"What?!" she cried out in childlike defense, fully-knowing she was at fault this time around.

"Go apologize!" Raye insisted as she pointed over to Darien, who made his way back up towards the bar.

"No," Serena frowned.

"Yes!" Mina cried out. "You were wrong this time, Serena."

"Raye and Mina are right," Lita chimed in. "Go apologize."

Serena looked at the three girls disapproving looks before slumping her shoulders. "Fine," she said, turning on her heel to huff off towards his direction. She yielded her way around the patrons, finally making her way towards the bar, to which she saw Darien sitting in his original seat, his attention on the sports game on the television.

"How dare you walk away while I'm insulting you," Serena sullenly replied as she tapped Darien on the shoulder, who glanced at her with annoyance before returning his attention to the game. She stood for another moment before tapping him on the shoulder again. "I'm sorry for being rude back there," she apologized. He stared at her for another moment before turning his attention again to the television, clearly done talking to her. Serena stood for another moment, debating what to do. She was about to tap him on the shoulder again when he turned around.

"Seriously? Can't you take a hint?" he said in annoyance.

"What? I'm trying to apologize!" she stated. He scoffed. "What?!" she cried out.

"I don't need your apology. I don't need your review, either. I am perfectly capable of making this restaurant succeed without trying to impress you. So if you want to continue to treat me with this ridiculous, misplaced attitude, I suggest you take your ladies night elsewhere." Serena opened her mouth to retort, but couldn't find the words. "What, no response?" he taunted, his arms crossed.

Serena folded her hands and placed them on her lap, hanging her head in shame. "I'm sorry," she sincerely replied. "You're right. I'm acting childish."

"Apology accepted," he said into his drink, sipping in the clear liquid. She continued to stand there, feeling embarrassed, trying to figure out a way to extend an olive branch. She decided on sitting on the stool next to him, placing her clutch on the black granite bar top, it's metallic flecks enhanced from the simmering lights above.

"I like the bar top," she complemented. "The flakes of silver really stand out." He nodded into his drink in acknowledgement. They sat in silence again, Serena trying to think of something nice to say to smooth over their rocky start, but he spoke first.

"I'm sorry, I just have to ask," he said as he turned to her.

"Hmm?" She turned to face him, suddenly aware of how close he was to her, looking at her. Unintentionally, she found herself studying his handsome features again, focusing on the color of his eyes, reminding her of a misty blue lake at sunset, so rich in color. He was wearing a crisp black suit with a powder blue shirt, no tie with the top two buttons undone. Just looking at him she could tell that he had a nice body from the way his clothing sat on him. Closer in proximity, her original observation of his attractiveness was a far cry from the reality; he was downright gorgeous, she hated to admit.

"What's with the hairstyle?" Taken aback, her tunnel vision suddenly ended, quickly being thrust into reality.

"What's wrong with my hair?!" she exclaimed.

"It's just that it's such an unusual hairstyle for an adult. I don't think I've seen older than my four year old niece wear her hair as such," he commented.

"Well, your niece has impeccable taste I guess!" she sputtered.

"It looks like meatballs!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"WHAT?!" she cried out, her jaw dropped, shocked by the childish comparison he just used.

"Yes!" he said. "See, this is the spaghetti," he analyzed as he trailed his finger down her braids, "and these are the meatballs!" he grinned as he poked her bun, to which she promptly stood up.

"You… you…" she stuttered. He laughed at her speechlessness, to which she stared wide-eyed at him.

"Oh, Serena, we're going to have some fun. See you around, meatball head!" he said as he lifted himself off of the chair and waved goodbye, exiting out of the bar. She turned around to see her friends laughing hysterically, clearly having witness the banter between the two adults, before turning back in the direction Darien was last seen, nowhere to be found. Serena begrudgingly made her way back over to the table, her friends still laughing as she continued to shake her head in disbelief.

"The nerve of that man!" she exclaimed, to which her friends laughed louder. He, he, he called me meatball head!" Serena said dumbfounded.

"Meatball Head! Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?!" Raye roared with laughter, about to spill her drink.

"You guys are horrible!" Serena whined.

"Oh Sere, looks like you've finally met your match!" Mina said in between laughs, Raye and Lita nodding enthusiastically, to which Serena grimaced.

"I really hope that isn't the last we see of him, because that was awesome," Lita said as the laughter died down. Serena felt some relief as the conversation moved on, but had a nagging feeling that would not be the last time she saw the hailed respected, brilliant, obnoxious, pain in the ass Darien Shields.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi guys! Thank you so much for your encouraging reviews and patience! It's April 18th, aka tax day, and in honor of no longer working CRAZY hours I finally got a chapter put together! Hooray! No DxS in this one, but I do hope you enjoy!

As always, please let me know if you see edits / areas of improvement and I will go back and fix them.

Thank you!

MU :3

* * *

Serena was sitting inside Starbucks, tapping away on her laptop keys, utilizing her memory as she worked on her current review of a bed and breakfast. It was an unusual request, but at the pleading of her editor, she accepted to write the paper in her colleague's absence. The regular writer, Anna, was out on maternity leave, which meant there was a three-month period of rotating the writer's at inTokyo. Serena did not mind too much; it was refreshing to write about something different. The only thing she did not like was that she had to be confined explicitly to what the B&B offered rather than act as if she was truly on vacation. However, having the excuse to sleep in a large, comfortable bed as long as she wanted was worth sitting through bird watching.

"Um, excuse me," a polite voice interrupted Serena's train of thought. She looked up from her screen and was greeted with a familiar face she recognized from her internet search weeks earlier. "I do not mean to intrude," she politely added with a friendly smile.

"No, that's okay," Serena replied. "You're Ami Mizuno-Shields, if I recall correctly," she insinuated. Now in-person, Serena quickly profiled her, noting that her hair was much closer to a shade of navy blue rather than the black that the images projected. It was a unique color, one she had never seen before, but was enhanced and complemented Ami's fair skin tone. She was no taller than Serena and smaller built, but she complemented her figure with a lovely black cardigan that was filled with magenta and cerulean floral prints atop a fresh cream-colored dress.

"Yes, and you are Serena Thompson," she said knowingly. "I was hoping that if you had a few moments I could buy you a cup of fresh coffee?"

Serena paused for a moment, but no sooner nodded her head in acceptance. "That would be wonderful. An Americano with two pumps of white mocha would be awesome," she added.

"White mocha," she repeated back, nodding in confirmation. "I will be right back." As Ami walked away, Serena quickly added her last fleeting thought to her review before clicking on the save icon and exiting out of her article. Taking a quick look at her email one last time, she noted nothing new before closing the laptop. Another moment later, Ami returned with the coffee cups, placing the delicious drink in front of Serena.

"Thank you so much, this is one of my favorites!" Serena said as she clasped her hands around the cup, its warmth seeping into her aching finger muscles. She sighed contently, welcoming the break from her work.

"Thank you for taking the time to sit down with me; I truly do appreciate your time. I also want to add in my apologies for the way that my brother treated you when you visited my restaurant. I was supposed to be the one to meet with you, but my husband's father passed away and we had to travel overseas for the arrangements. I would have met with you sooner had I known what happened, but I only got back yesterday," she added with a solemn tone. Serena softened at the woman's grievance.

"I understand, and I'm sorry for your loss," she said sincerely.

"Thank you," Ami replied. "But it still does not excuse my brother's behavior. When I returned, I asked him what had happened. He did not give a very clear answer, so when I checked with some of my staff; they told me how quickly he had dismissed you. I know that we want to implement a dress code, but nowhere near the standards my brother made it seem to be."

"Really?" Serena asked, propping her elbow on the table resting her chin in her hand. "In my experience, many of the restaurants in that area tend to err on the side of jackets only."

"Exactly," Ami said matter-of-factly, "and I am trying to break that mold. I do not want to be another hip and trendy restaurant that is shut down after 3 months. I want to diversify. I want to see the stay-at-home Moms having lunch with their girlfriends alongside the stockbroker's on their lunch break. I want to see a group of girls come in to celebrate their friend's 21st birthday while a couple is celebrating their 25-year anniversary. The only places you find that cater to that lifestyle, though, are chains or smaller Mom-and-Pop places. I wanted to bring in an alternative option that allowed for a little more luxury without the judgment."

Serena nodded as Ami spoke, taking in the information. "Say I showed up wearing a maroon jersey dress and strappy sandals, would that be grounds for not being allowed in?"

Ami's eyes widened slightly. "Of course not. Is that what you were wearing when my brother kicked you out?" Serena nodded in confirmation. "That is absolutely preposterous. The only thing I would advise against is baggy pants where you can see the boy's drawers, outfits that are made of hardly any material, and the traditional 'no shoes no shirt' mantra. Wearing a dress and sandals hardly disqualifies any patron in my opinion," she said. "I am horrified beyond belief," she added, covering her mouth as she finished.

"That explains why there was no dress code notice on your website," Serena mused aloud. "But if that's the case, why was your brother so uptight about it?"

Ami shook her head. "My brother has a different vision. He has been all over the world for corporate meetings and he feels that we need to cater to that world. I have been to my fair share of those places and I absolutely hate it. You often find that the food and the attitude of the staff take away from what beauty and uniqueness a place of that caliber has to offer."

Serena continued to nod and listen. "I agree with you, I feel like some of those places spend so much on the rent and the décor that it takes away from what matters most."

"Exactly. I do not want to be that place. I want to offer quality food in a chic setting that anyone can come in and enjoy. So long as you can pay your bill, I could hardly care what attire you're wearing as long as you are dressed in an appropriate manner."

"You have no idea how refreshing that is to hear," Serena replied. "Every place I have been to that has that modern, industrial feel is normally so overpriced and underqualified. It's nice to hear that you want to diversity this restaurant to the everyday person."

Ami smiled before taking a sip of her coffee. "Thank you. It has been a dream of mine to own a restaurant. I never could have done such a project without my brother's help, which I am eternally thankful for, but I do wish he would let me make my own choices without his input," she said a little sadly. Serena felt a pang of guilt for not returning to her restaurant. Clearly, Ami was just a girl with big dreams and a corporate brother who felt he knew more than she did.

"Say, what are you doing in the next hour or so?" Serena asked as she looked at her watch, noting it was 11:00.

"I'm about to head over to the restaurant, why do you ask?" Ami replied.

"Because I would absolutely love to come back with you and have another go at your restaurant," Serena offered with a smile.

Ami's eyes shimmered with happiness as she clasped her hands together. "Really? That would be wonderful! Of course! Thank you so much!" she said gleefully. "I won't keep you from your article any longer," she said hurriedly as she slipped out of her chair. "I will see you soon. Thank you again, Serena, sincerely. Thank you!" She waved goodbye as she left the coffee shop, leaving Serena smiling. The simple fact that she was willing to apologize to her for nothing that she did wrong already won Serena over, but what made Serena genuinely want to go back was hearing Ami's passion and unique opportunity she provided the restaurant and its future patrons. So long as the food was good, Serena would made sure to give Ami's dream a glowing review.

* * *

"Welcome!" Ami exclaimed as Serena walked out of the elevator. Serena smiled, feeling a little bad that she showed up this time extremely underdressed, taking note that her laptop bag was nosily brushing up against her yoga leggings, but Ami never even noticed. In fact, she quickly appeared by Serena's side, guiding her to a table in a brightly lit window that displayed the lovely cityscape, Tokyo Tower glistening in the distance. The sun warmed the area, allowing Serena's bare arms to feel relaxed. A waiter soon came over with a glass of cool water in a frosted water glass, a lovely touch to a simple gesture, as well as a breadbasket, which Serena noted was filled with a variety of pumpernickel, rye, and Italian slices.

"This is our house dipping sauce, which consists of olive oil, parmesan cheese, and crushed red peppers," the waiter said as he placed a saucer of the concoction in front of Serena. Serena happily reached for a slice of Italian bread and ripped off a sizeable chunk, dipping it slightly into the saucer. She popped the bread into her mouth and was instantly greeted with a flavor explosion. The parmesan cheese had a lovely aged flavor to it, while the crushed red peppers allowed a zest of heat to mingle with the saltiness of the parmesan. The olive oil had to been aged as well, as it had a silky, bold flavor. This was easily one of the best dipping sauces she had ever tasted. Simple, three ingredients, but flavorful. Serena politely thanked the waiter as he made his departure, not allowing a complement to slip. It was one of her rules; never complement the food. Complement the service by being polite and thankful, but never let them know the status of your thoughts. That was the point of a review.

Ami returned holding two menus - a wine list and a meal menu - and passed it over to Serena. "Would you like to select from the menu, or would you like us to prepare you a course of our finest house dishes?" Ami offered. While Serena was itching to see what the 'finest house dishes' may have been, she wanted to judge her opinions on what an everyday person would order, especially if Ami is trying to cater to the everyday individual.

"I think I will pick off of the menu, but thank you for the option," Serena said kindly. She quickly scanned the drink list, but decided against a glass of wine, despite that the wine list was rather impressive. Looking through the bound menu, she noted her original choices from a few weeks ago were still available and sounded as good as it did prior. Sticking to her original intuition, she advised the waiter, who had returned with a pitcher of more water, of her choices."

"Would you care for a drink off of our wine list?" the waiter asked as he took the menus from Serena's hand.

"No, thank you though, I think I will stick with the water," she replied.

"Yes, ma'am," he said as he excused himself to put her order in. Serena smiled as Ami catered to the lunch patrons, noticing her very friendly demeanor as she assisted the hostess in seating the different varieties of individuals coming in, from corporate suits to a lively elderly bunch. She continued to watch the crowd, noticing their reactions as they opened up their menus, or how they laughed when talking with their colleagues, and especially how they responded when they tried some of the food. Serena's attention was soon returned to her own table as a bowl of lemon-artichoke soup was placed in front of her, the scent invading her nostrils with a pleasant aromatic. She looked at the bowl of the soup, noting it had a smooth pureed consistency, before dipping her spoon into the appetizer. Bringing the soup to her lips, she sipped in the broth, its sweet and sour taste bringing life to Serena's taste buds. She was able to notice the freshness of the artichoke and the fresh squeezed lemon juice; to the untrained palette one may not notice such things, but she knew that she would have been able to tell the presence of fake lemon juice and canned artichoke. Ami stopped over as Serena was savoring her soup, inquiring about its flavor.

"Can you tell me what goes into the soup?" Serena baited, testing to see if her assumptions were correct.

"Of course. Firstly, each soup is made fresh every morning. Anything we have left over at night that has not been out past a certain time is donated to the soup kitchen down the road. For this particular soup, we start with a finely diced mirepoix and minced garlic. This is gently sautéed in olive oil until translucent, to which we add chicken broth, freshly chopped artichoke hearts, salt and pepper and simmer it. One the artichokes have softened, we take batches and puree it in a blender until smoothed, then return the mixture into the saucepan. We add hand-squeezed lemon juice and lemon halves, bring it a boil, and then let it simmer for a bit before removing the lemons. Finally we add some half and half, let it simmer again, and we have our end result."

"Wow," Serena said, extremely impressed at the first-hand knowledge Ami had going into the soup. "Let me guess: chef before owner?"

Ami smiled. "Yes; I love to cook. Many of these recipes were my creation, and if not, I had involvement on all the items. This soup is a personal favorite of mine. I found adding the lemon halves and simmering the soup with them really enhances the lemony taste we were trying to achieve. Lemon zest helps, of course, but the lemons took the flavor to another level."

"I can tell," Serena said knowingly. Ami quietly excused herself, allowing Serena to dig into the automatic soup, lost in its fresh flavors. It was easily one of the finest soups she ever enjoyed. One she finished her soup, the waiter cleared her bowl and no sooner replaced it with her truffle risotto. She admired its presentation, a beautiful brown tint to the risotto with the cooked mushrooms and leeks weaved throughout sprinkled with freshly chopped leafy parsley. She took a decent amount of the risotto on her fork and popped it in her mouth, savoring the early flavors of the dish. The leeks and shiitake mushrooms were a nice texture, softened and caramelized within the risotto. The flavor of the risotto, though, was another level. She could taste the decedent black truffle, its pungent, musky flavor adhering into the Arborio rice and present in each chew. Its creamy decadence was very rich, allowing only savory bites, but it was worth every delicious bite. The portion was a generous size, to which Serena could only eat half of, but it was worth every calorie. Ami came by mid-way through her meal, to which Serena asked again if she could describe what went into the meal.

"Firstly, I do not use only truffle oil. I use shaved black truffles in my risotto to truly let it live up to its name. This recipe is actually a three-part process. We simmer the leeks in cream and season in salt and pepper and then let it chill. Next, we roast the shiitake mushrooms with truffle oil, salt, and pepper until they are tender and light brown around the edges. Thirdly, we make the risotto, which is made using a dry white wine and vegetable broth, and once all the liquid is absorbed, we add in the leek mixture, mushroom mixture, butter, parmesan, and shaved truffle. Finally we garnish with chopped fresh parsley."

"Black truffles?" Serena inquired, confirming her retained information. Black truffles were quite pricey, but from experience worth the money. However, most places substituted a truffle sauce, or overused the truffle oil to avoid having to pay the cost for the real thing.

"Absolutely. They are divine, and you do not need a lot to allow its flavor to be present. I believe 2 teaspoons can easily cover six to eight dishes," Ami replied.

"I couldn't agree more. I love anything with truffles in it," Serena agreed, extremely impressed. Ami cleared her dish for her, offering Serena the chance to take the leftovers to which she whole heartedly agreed to, excited to indulge in it some more with a glass of wine in the evening. Finally, the sorbet arrived, nestled in a beautiful glass dish with a mint leaf and raspberry perched atop the scoop. She dipped her spoon into it, the cool, fresh flavors coating her tongue. Serena closed her eyes, savoring the delicious fruit as she finished the entire dish.

Ami came by again, expressing her gratitude once more. "I truly do appreciate you returning; thank you so much!" Extending her hand, she offered Serena a smile that gleamed in true happiness.

Serena smiled back, shaking her hand in return. "No, thank you for stopping to see me. I am really looking forward to writing up this review."

"Oh, thank you!" Ami exclaimed, letting go of Serena's hand shortly after. "I cannot wait to read it!"

The girls bid their goodbyes and Serena soon left the building, walking out into the beautiful late-spring weather, taking in the rays from the sun. Making her way down the walkway, she grinned once more, promising herself that she would give Ami the review that her restaurant truly deserved.


	4. Chapter 4

Happy May, everyone! I wish I could say that I have been able to take advantage of the spring weather, but I live in Western New York, and we have enjoyed nothing but rain and cold for days. We're constantly on a flood watch here, so May has not been as lovely as it normally is. But in any case, it makes for good writing time, since it's not nice enough to be outside and enjoying outdoorsy activities.

Thank you to everyone who has been reading and leaving reviews, It really helps keep fuel in the tank and makes me feel like I'm not writing something that is unenjoyable or mundane. As always, let me know if you have suggestions, review/edits, or if this sucks :) Haha. Please don't tell me if I suck.

MU :3

* * *

"Serena, I'm going to get right to the point: this article is fantastic! I want to showcase it in our next issue." Serena's jaw dropped at the news from Audrey; sure, her articles were typically well-written and often published within the magazine, but showcased? This was a first for sure! Audrey continued; "I want photographs of the restaurant. Who is the freelancer you typically work with?"

"Mina White?" Serena answered, still in disbelief, mentally slapping herself that she squeaked Mina's name out in question-form.

"Yes, her. She's quite talented. Any who, I want photos of the meals you ate, I want photos of the owners, I want shots of the restaurant. I want to put this on the cover, so make sure you get me the best," Audrey instructed, Serena nodding at each sentence. "Zwei Towers, the first luxury restaurant in Tokyo that has judgment-free attitude. I love it. In today's age with all the hype of over-sensitivity, this is so refreshing to hear about. Our readers are going to love this! Oh Serena, great job, really!" With her final complements, Serena dismissed herself with a multitude of 'thank you's' before slipping out of her editor's office. Her heart was leaping; her first cover! She wanted to dance outside of Audrey's office, but resorted to borderline skipping down the hallway.

The cover! _The_ cover of inTokyo! The realization of the news hit her even more when she sat down at her desk, tears of happiness pecking the corners of her eyes. Her hard work had really paid off. True to word, Serena made sure she gave Ami the truly glowing review it deserved. In fact, she spent about two weeks perfecting it before passing it over to Audrey, resorting to the thesauruses to make sure she was using the finest words to best describe the dishes she had enjoyed. Rather than just describing the food, she included the exert of how Ami wanted to stand apart from other trendy restaurants, how she wanted to include all those who wanted to dine and not discriminate against those who do not arrive dressed formally. In such a large city diversified with heavily populated social classes, it was extremely rare to see a place where one person makes six-figures can be seated next to the family who can only bring in 40,000 yen.

Not doting anymore on her news, she picked up her phone and dialed Mina's number, eager to get her lined up to assist. She answered rather quickly, much to Serena's glee.

"Do you have any availability this week to assist me in a photoshoot?" Serena inquired after pleasantries were exchanged.

"I have an ad I need to shoot on Wednesday, but I should be all set with that by 2:00. Besides that," she paused with a thoughtful 'hmm', "I don't think I have anything scheduled. Whatcha got?"

"Remember how I went back and did the review of Zwei? Audrey just called me in and told me that it's being featured on the cover next issue!" Serena excitingly said, to which Mina started cheering. "Can you come with me to get some photographs of the site? She wants some food shots, site shots, and some shots with the owner."

"Absolutely! Let me know when and where, doll. So wait, does this mean?" Mina trailed off, allowing Serena to fill in the blank. She spaced for a moment before groaning.

"Yes, ugh. I have to call _him,_ " she fumed, thinking of the last encounter. "Such an asshole!"

Mina laughed. "Let me know what works best for them, okay? Hopefully this week. Next week is tough for me."

"I'm sure if I say they're being featured on the cover we should be all set to get in soon," Serena laughed. "Clearly that means they had a good review."

"True!" Mina agreed. "Ok, let me know. Bye!" Once they disconnected, Serena dialed Zwei Towers' number, asking to speak to Ami. Soon she was connected with the girl, once again exchanging pleasantries before getting into the discussion.

"Of course this week would be wonderful! Do you have a specific time in mind?" Ami asked, the excitement in her voice radiating through the speaker.

"Whatever time works best to have both you and your brother at the site. My editor would like a shot of both of you for the magazine," Serena explained, idly tapping her pencil against her open agenda book.

"Oh yes, good point. Do you mind if I conference him in?" Ami asked.

"No, that sounds good, actually," Serena replied. Ami put her on hold, and soon enough his deep voice swirled around in her eardrum.

"Hello again, Ms. Thompson," Darien said too politely. Serena rolled her eyes at the formality.

"Hello. I am not sure if Ami told you yet, but we would like to come in and take a few photographs. Your review is being featured in next month's magazine, and my editor would like it to be on the cover. Are there any dates and times that are better for you? We are hoping for some time this week." Serena studied her calendar, groaning inwardly at the boot camps she had listed on her early mornings three times a week, but returned her attention back to the call when she heard him start to speak again.

"I could do Thursday at 11:00. Ami, does that work for you?" Darien asked.

"Yes, Thursday at 11 is perfect. I'll make sure we have Alfonso in early that morning to get the items prepared ahead of time so we don't need to wait. Serena, can I confirm that you had the lemon-artichoke soup, truffle risotto, and the mango sorbet? I want to give Alfonso the list so he can have the items ready to go when you walk in the door," Ami inquired.

"Yes, that's correct," Serena replied, impressed at the recollection.

"Perfect!" Ami said happily. "So we will see you in a few days."

"Sounds good," Serena chimed in.

"We will see you then," Darien added formally before disconnecting. Ami and Serena said their goodbyes, to which Serena called Mina back confirming the date. She wrote the information down in her agenda before closing the colorful spiral bound book shut and slipping it into her bag. Thursday. Maybe they would be civil for once on Thursday. She shook her head; he was a jerk, she reminded herself. Dismissing him from her thoughts, she felt the corners of her lips twitch back into a smile.

"The cover," she whispered to herself in happiness, allowing herself to gently sway in her chair before diving back into her work.

* * *

Thursday came rather quickly, and due to the professionalism that this meeting did call for, Serena dressed up for the occasion. Normally Serena hated wearing business-casual, noting that she wore a pair of high-waist black dress pants, a short-sleeved magenta button up top, and a pair of plain black pumps, but the reason behind the outfit kept her pushing through the suffocating clothing. As a free spirit, she loved wearing airy, light outfits throughout the day, and being a journalist allowed her to don that attire. Dressing up to her meant wearing cocktail dresses and stilettos, not pantsuits or jackets. How someone would want to put on a suit everyday bewildered her.

With the last fleeting thought, she pulled up to Zwei Towers, noticing she was here before Mina. Thanking the Uber driver, she slipped out of the back of the car and popped open her umbrella. She grimaced; she would have much rather had a sunny, blue-skied day for the photographs, but she knew Mina was a photographic genius and could make any weather hiccup work. Not like they were outside or anything, but Serena itched to get a photograph with the expansive windows showing the city skyline; it was her favorite part of the restaurant.

Mina arrived a few moments later, grumbling as she pulled her equipment out of the trunk while attempting to balance her umbrella. Serena quickly came to Mina's side, grabbing a few items to help avoid them getting wet or falling. "Bring enough?" Serena jabbed, to which Mina rolled her eyes with a 'psh.'

"Girl, you know I go all out," Mina tossed back, which Serena laughed.

"And that's why you're my favorite photographer!" Serena happily replied.

"Hey now, best friend is more like it!" Mina replied, feigning hurt feelings.

"Amen, sister! Now let's go!" Serena said as they made their way into dryer territory. Not wasting any time, they made their way into the restaurant with a few minutes to spare. Serena smoothed out her hair, the blonde hair holding a slight wave from the humidity, much to Serena's annoyance. She mentally scoffed at neglecting to put her hair up in a tidy bun, raking her fingers through the long tresses.

"Serena, you look just fine," Mina assured, to which Serena instantly stopped finger-combing her hair.

"This damn humidity," she mumbled as she watched the numbers light up on each passing floor.

"Don't worry, Mister Hottie won't mind either way," she said with a wink, just in time for the doors to open, not giving Serena a chance to retort. Biting her lip, Serena followed Mina out of the elevator, Ami and Darien standing at the host podium. Ami was dressed beautifully, donning a baby-blue cashmere sweater, gray pencil skirt, and simple black heels. She noticed that she accessorized with a string of pearls, a classy touch for the sophisticated woman. Her attention quickly shifted to Darien, and it was as if she was bewitched by a time sorceress, slowing down time. He was standing tall in a slim cut, dark gray suit that beautifully contrasted against Ami's, a gray dress shirt that was a shade or two lighter than the suit, and a black tie that boldly stood out. His hair was styled in his normal fashion, his black tresses parted off to the left, his bangs falling and landing at various lengths just below his eyebrows. Her eyes traveled down his clean shaven, strong jaw and back up to his long, yet pointed nose. There should be a rule as to how sexy someone should be, Serena mentally jeered. She noticed his well-defined lips moving, her eyes lingering; how inviting they were! It took her a moment to realize he was talking to her, to which she shook her head, the erotic music looping in her head quickly ceasing as she regained her focus. Realizing he extended his hand to her, she rebounded by grabbing it with a shake.

"Congratulations on the cover," Serena said, looking at the siblings. "You should be proud of the business you have built."

"No, thank you, Serena, for giving us such a review. I can't believe we are going to be on the cover!" Ami nearly squealed in excitement, clearly outside of her normal reserved self. When she noticed her near outburst she took a few breaths, attempting to collect herself.

"Yes, thank you, Serena. I appreciate you coming back and giving us a second chance," Darien added in a friendly tone. She smiled at the remark.

"Of course. You have an amazing restaurant here and I'm glad I can help tell the city that." Serena paused as she turned towards Mina. "This is my friend and photographer, Mina White. She will be taking a few shots of the restaurant, of the two of you, and the meals. It should not take more than 30 minutes. Mina, do you want to take charge?" Serena led, allowing Mina to jump in.

"Yes. Let's go ahead and grab shots of the two of you first. Hmmm," Mina paused, looking around. "Let's put you guys here." Mina led them over to the main entryway of the building. Serena watched as she instructed the siblings, having Ami sit in one of the black chairs, Darien standing behind it with one of the abstract artworks framed in the background. She had to give credit where it was due; Mina had the eye of a brilliant photographer, and she was not shy about telling people how they should stand or sit. Serena continued to stand in the background, watching Mina take charge, but her eyes fluttered back to Darien. She curled a loose piece of hair around her finger, lost in his presence. It wasn't until she realized he was looking right back at her that she interrupted her hypnosis, resorting to smoothing out the imaginary wrinkle in her pants. She could feel the redness shading her cheeks as she tried her hardest not to look back at him, turning her attention to Mina. She could tell that she was wrapping up with the shots of the siblings, so she regained her composure and stood next to Mina.

"Ok guys," Mina began, "Let's go ahead and start taking shots of the restaurant before anyone arrives." Ami nodded, leading Mina off to different areas. Serena stood in the lobby, watching Ami point out her favorite spots of the restaurant and Mina capturing the different spaces. She was well aware that Darien was still standing in the lobby, though due to embarrassment for being caught staring earlier, she opted not to initiate any type of conversation. Darien, however, had no problem being the first to speak, and in a manner that was pleasantly surprising to Serena.

"Thank you for coming back here, Serena," Darien said kindly, to which Serena turned to face him. He was standing closely, her body aware of his physical presence, but she squashed the feelings budding inside her. "I am not sure what changed your mind, but really, thank you."

"You're welcome," she stumbled out, taken aback by his kindness. In both meetings, while he was ridiculously gorgeous and easy on the eyes, he was nothing short of rude. To hear him being sincerely kind to her was welcoming. She studied him as he turned his gaze onto his sister, who was happily guiding Mina around the restaurant.

"She truly deserves this," Darien said softly. Serena smiled at the affection he displayed for his sister's accomplishment.

"That she does," Serena agreed. "I hope that the two of you like the article when it comes out."

"Do you have an idea when that may be?" he inquired, still watching his sister guide Mina around.

"We usually release our magazines at the beginning of the month, so I would say towards the end of the first week of June," Serena replied. "But, if you would like, I can have a copy sent to you and Ami when it's finished at the printers."

Darien looked surprised. "Really?" Serena nodded in confirmation. "That would be great, thank you."

"No problem," Serena replied. A few more moments passed by, Serena finding herself wishing he would say something further, but nothing came. When Mina called Serena over to one of the tables, she found herself disappointed that their dialogue had ended. _I seriously need to find someone_ , Serena mentally muttered to herself. _I need to get him out of my head._

The rest of the photoshoot went well, Mina using her props to capture proper lighting on the different dishes. Serena smiled as Mina also captured some candid shots, one she was particularly excited to see when it developed of Ami and Chef Alfonso garnishing and wiping down a dish prior to presentation. Soon enough Mina and Serena began to pack up, Mina frequently commenting on how excited she was to see the photos on her computer and that she would begin editing as soon as she got home. As Serena zipped up one of the last bags, she found Ami at their side, her appreciation wafting.

"Thank you again, ladies. Can I convince you two to join me for lunch as a sign of my appreciation?" Ami asked. Mina looked over at Serena, her eyes full of pleading to accept.

Serena grinned. "Absolutely."

"Wonderful!" Ami exclaimed as she clasped her hands. "Darien has to run, but I would love to get to know you two. Darien?" she called over to her brother with a wave, who made his way over. "I know you have to run, but Serena and Mina are going to stay for lunch if you would like to say goodbye."

Darien extended his hand once again with a smile, shaking Mina and Serena's hands respectfully. His grip held on slightly longer to Serena's, her hand softening in his as he held on a second longer.

"A pleasure," he said. His smile was soft, like a petals caught in a breeze. It was just enough to allow a gleam of white from the teeth below and a slight dimple of his cheek, causing Serena's heart to skip a beat. Never had she been so entranced by a man's features before. In exchange she returned a bashful smile, unable to form any words in response, her heart thumping like crazy. Her brain was screaming, reminding her that he was rude to her in their prior exchanges, that he teased her, that he kicked her out of the restaurant the first time. Her heart, however, refused to listen, banging against her chest, desperate to break free. Their hands released as they held each other's gaze a moment longer before he turned away from her. She inhaled a shaky breath, trying to calm herself down from what he was doing to her. And just from a handshake! Swallowing an imaginary lump, she turned back to the girls and made her way over to the table. Just before she sat down, she tossed a look over to the elevator. Her heart began wildly pumping as she caught him staring at her, a look in his eye that she could not quite place, but suspected its intention as he looked away once their gazes caught each other. She grinned; maybe he was… _interested?_

* * *

Serena stretched out on her couch, succumbing to the worn cushions' comfort as she tossed her head back on her pillow. She yawned as she snuggled in deeper to the couch, which had seen better days. She didn't care; it may have been a hand-me-down, gifted to her from her parents when she moved into her apartment, but she knew all the sweet spots of the couch. Many lazy days were spent on this couch, as well as many other _good times_. After turning on the television, she surfed through the various channels before deciding on a romantic comedy. She snuggled into her pillow as she began to drift into a light nap until her cell phone began to ring. Feeling slightly groggy, she ripped the phone out of the pocket of her hoodie, not recognizing the number. Normally she would screen her calls, but her curiosity got the best of her. Hopefully telemarketers were not calling at 9:00 at night. If that was the case, she would certainly give them an earful.

"Serena Thompson" she curtly bellowed into the phone.

"Hello, Serena. I hope you do not mind me calling you so late," the deep voice on the other end replied. _Darien?_

"Darien?" she asked, suddenly shifting up from her couch into a sitting position.

"Yes. Am I calling too late in the evening?" he asked politely.

"No, you're fine. Sorry, I began to doze off when you called. So if I sounded hostile.." she explained briefly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Darien apologized. "I can let you go."

"No, no, you're fine, honestly. So, what's up?" she inquired.

"I wanted to thank you again for coming back. I know our original meeting was less than professional on my end, and I wanted to express my gratitude. Would you happen to be available for dinner on Friday evening?" _Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god._

"This Friday?" she practically stammered in surprise.

"Yes, around 7 o'clock?"

"Um, yeah, I am free," she replied, still blown away by his invitation.

"Wonderful. I can meet you at your place, or we can meet? Whichever you prefer," he offered.

"We can meet up at the place. Any particular one in mind?" she questioned.

He chuckled. "Actually, a dear friend of mine has a wonderful place right by Tokyo Tower called _Infinito._ Have you been before?"

She pursed her lips in wonder. "Actually, I do not think I have been," she replied, surprised by her lack of attendance or knowledge of the place.

"I'm surprised," he mirrored, "I would have assumed you have been everywhere."

"One of the many mysteries about me," she laughed. Darien exchanged directions, to which Serena nodded and wrote down on a scrap of paper, her grin expanding across the entire region of her face. They disconnected shortly thereafter, Serena staring at her phone in wonder.

"He's just showing gratitude, nothing more," she said to herself.

 _Or he's taking you out on a date._

"It's nice of him after the way he treated me, after all!" she loudly declared to no one.

 _Girl, it's a date._

"Or maybe he's trying to weasel me into his friend's place?!"

 _It's an Italian restaurant. Shut up. It's a DATE._

"Ooooh that ass!"

 _D-A-T-E. DATE!_

She flopped back onto her couch, a grin still plastered on her face, holding her phone closely to a chest.

"A date."


	5. Chapter 5

I am so so so sorry with how long it took me to get this chapter out. I originally had this chapter started off in the right direction, but then I realized that it was way too short! And I'm not going to post something that is only 3 pages on MS Word, it would not be fair to you guys! So I needed to find a way to build in the transition into the relationship we see budding, and I finally got it out of my head and on to paper. As always, please let me know if you think this chapter needs more depth, any revisions/edits, or if it seems choppy. Sometimes things steam in my mind better than they do when typed out in story format. In any instance, I threw in some more fun language (a little strong, but moreso fun and sassy!) and responded to some reviewer's requests (I LOVE YOUR REVIEWS!), so I hope you enjoy this next chapter! And I promise my next one won't take as long (does 5,100 words make up for it?!)!

Anyways - hope all of you are enjoying your summer!

Love you all! MU :3

* * *

Serena sat on her couch, the steam coming from her ears and nose keeping the mug of coffee piping hot as she held on to it in absolute fury.

It definitely was not a date. At least, not by her expectations. Or any woman, for that matter!

Embarrassed didn't cover it. No, not by a longshot. Maybe horrified. What synonym is a step above horrified? Humiliated, perhaps? Yes, humiliated.

And completely furious.

She had shown up at 7:00 to the restaurant. _Infinito_ was certainly a beautiful establishment, a charming little place tucked away on one of the side streets downtown. It was as if the owner ripped a piece of Italy and stuck it in Tokyo. The stone wall accents, the Mediterranean décor, and the beautiful music filled her soul with warmth when she walked in. She had dressed for the occasion as well, wearing a lilac cold-shoulder top with long, flowy sleeves that was splashed with large, magenta flowers atop a pair of figure-flattering white capris. Her hair was clipped back in spiraled curls and her makeup was softly applied, light hues of pinks and purples and a trace of mascara decorating her eyes. Her shoes were a pair of taupe wedges, not too high, but complemented her outfit. It was definitely an look that had a romantic feel to it, and when she assembled it and put it on, she felt her heart skip a beat.

It had started off fine. Ok, it had started off amazing, at least in her original rose-colored glasses. He arrived, wearing a burgundy polo and khaki Dockers, still a professional look but less casual than she had seen him before. The best way to describe his look was that the only thing he was missing was a white golf glove sticking out of the back of his pocket. But she dismissed it since, well, he was beyond gorgeous in every article of clothing she had seen him in up to this point. Long gone were her original assumptions of him. Her blossoming attraction muted all past exchanges, opinions, and frustrations. Looking back, she should not have been so quick to let down her guard. Boy, she regretted that big time.

Once they were seated and the waiter took their drink order, they began some idle chit-chat. He thanked her again for coming back out, she complemented the restaurant, he expressed his interest in reading the article, and she commented on how nice his sister is. It was moving along smoothly, so she thought, until the red head appeared.

Ah, yes, the red head. Her voluptuous bosom practically in his face, her cat-like curves accentuated in her fitted noir dress. She had kissed his cheek, he smiled up at her endearingly. They exchanged a few minutes of conversation, including when they would see each other again. Apparently they had decided on "soon," which the way it rolled off of each of their tongues, didn't seem too distant in the future. Suddenly, she felt very much like she was on their date, especially when the red head tossed her voluminous hair over her shoulder and blinked her eyes at him. As she sauntered off, Serena watched as Darien's eyes lingered on her a bit longer than a gentleman's should, and then he had the audacity to snap his attention right back to her and pick up like nothing had ever happened. In that moment, her Google search flashed back in her mind, how he was always pictured with different women, hardly ever a repeat, in any event he had attended. And right now, in this little romantic bistro, with a freshly prepared appetizer of ravioli sitting in between them, she was one of those women.

So what did she do when she realized that she was number 500 in Darien's little black book?

Why, she dumped the food all over the table and stormed out of course!

Naturally he followed after her, calling out for her as she hastily walked down the sidewalk. With each stomp on the pavement came a new definition for him: pompous. Egotistical. Entitled. Womanizer. Trickster. The names continued on with each step, more than eager to get the hell away from him. Her petite legs were no match for his long ones, however, as he caught up to her and grabbed her by the wrist, whirling her around to face him.

"What the hell was that for?!" he shouted, his pants stained with red sauce and bits of diced herbs.

"Seriously?!" she cried out, "You're sitting there ogling the red head while I'm sitting right across from you and you actually have the audacity to ask me what is wrong? What the hell is wrong with _you_?!"

"Beryl? She's a good friend of mine," he snapped coolly. "I hardly think that your reaction was warranted to me talking to one of _my_ friends."

"Uh huh, sure, friend. Trust me, I've looked you up, playboy. I know you're never photographed with the same woman twice. And the way your eyes were locked on her tits I'm sure you've _never_ crossed _that_ line of 'friendship,'" she air-quoted, daring him to answer. None came. "Well, congratulations, Darien. I _never_ want to see you again." Spinning on her heel, she continued her hasty stomp, tunnel vision in clear focus as she saw the entrance to metro in the near-distance. She flew down the stairway and scanned her pass, mentally praising herself for opting for the one-day pass so she didn't have to stop at the ticketing station again and purchase another ticket. All she wanted to do was get the hell back to her apartment and never, ever think or see that jackass again.

She was lucky, the doors moments from closing once she reached the platform to take the rail back to her district. The train was crowded, resorting to her having to grab on to one of the overhead straps to keep her balance as the train began its acceleration. The doors sprung shut, and as the train began its descent, she saw him, Mr. Pant-stain, looking around for her feverishly. Unfortunately for her, their eyes caught each other, and as he looked at her perplexed, she did what any natural adult would do: stuck her tongue out at him and broke their contact.

The ride was a short one, and soon she was sluggishly walking on the sidewalk toward her apartment complex. He seriously couldn't have been a good guy? Did he really have no interest in her? The questions stung a little bit. She should have stuck to her intuition: he was a jerk, and he would always be a jerk.

Eventually, the walk of sulk brought her back to her apartment, where her temper was back in full swing. It was Friday night, the evening was beautiful, and damn it, she had worked hard on her looks! She pouted; life wasn't fair! Didn't she deserve a little companionship? Too bad she had tried to seek it out of the one man in Tokyo who had adulterer officially added to his ever-growing title.

* * *

Embarrassed didn't quite cover how he was feeling in that moment. Sure, the public display of childish behavior was enough to infuriate any man, but he well beyond embarrassed. Angry didn't cover it, either, considering she had likely ruined his favorite pair of chino's as well. He shrugged as soon as the thought came; they were easily replaceable. She was infuriating. Juvenile. Obnoxious. And it fascinated him like no other woman has before.

Darien's eyes lingered for another moment on her amazing backside before realizing she was walking towards the stairway to reach the metro. He just had to talk to her again and apologize. Honestly, he didn't mean to let his eyes stare at Beryl longer than they should have. Truthfully, he could care less for her; she was a socialite, a product of Daddy's oil money, and while years ago they had some fun, it was well in the past. Beryl simply was a networking connection, and even though they always mentioned they would see one another soon, it never came. Besides, Beryl enjoyed participating in more of a BDSM lifestyle, which was way out of Darien's comfort zone. Sure, a little bit of experimentation was fun every now and again, and the outfits weren't terrible to look at either, but it wasn't his thing. Not that he judged her; in fact, it allowed him to move on from her rather quickly, and mutually.

As his legs carried him down the sidewalk in great stride, he briefly contemplated why on earth he was bothering to chase after her. Clearly her opinion of him was that he was a playboy, and truthfully, she wasn't completely wrong. His job came first, to which he endured long hours, lengthy business trips, and meeting after meeting on a consistent basis. Relationships didn't fit into that mold; companions were better suited for him. It wasn't like he would go to a bar with the intent to bring a girl home or call an escort service to send a beautiful woman knocking, he just capitalized when mutual interest was expressed. But there was something about Serena that intrigued him more than any woman he had met before.

Many of the women he met in his life were compliant, dutiful, and eager to please. Sure, occasionally the confident, successful women he worked with in the corporate world sometimes expressed common companionship, but it felt more like shop talk with a little bit of passion. Women outside of the business, the ones who usually seemed to fall at his feet, were those who were interested in his looks or money, not who he was as a man. Serena, however, didn't seem to give a crap about how he looked, or what he did. Her feisty attitude and name-calling, while trivial, was quite the refreshing demeanor. She had no qualms challenging him, and when they had begun to be civil towards one another, he could see that she did have an endearing, quick witted, and fun personality. He enjoyed the night they talked on the phone, and he had thought their conversation was going well. He was man enough to admit he was wrong on staring at Beryl's ass for a moment longer, even though he had no desire towards it. It had been a while since he had been laid, after all.

The platform was crowded, and unfortunately for him, Serena was not readily visible. Grimacing, he quickly bought a ticket and passed through the gate, reaching the various subway trains. He quickly realized he had no idea where she lived, or what train she would take, so he took a chance and made his way towards the Namboku line. He frowned when he saw that the doors were closing, so he quickly peeked in, his eyes scanning for her purple top and blonde hair. She wasn't in the first car, so he made his way down the second just as the train was about to accelerate. Their eyes locked, and he was able to see in the tinted window the anger swirling in her large, blue eyes. But what knocked him down, what truly surprised him, was when she stuck her tongue out at him in defiance as her train glided away. Darien stood there, at first dumbfounded that a girl in her later twenties, a business professional, a city icon, just stuck her tongue out at him. But no sooner from his recovery did he smile. She was possessing him with a fascination, a lingering desire to see her again.

Darien grin widened as he stared out towards the empty track; he had finally met his match, and he wouldn't be so quick to let her go.

* * *

"Min, I'm standing outside Vertex. Where the hell are you?" Serena barked into the phone as another man ogled her ass in her pleather shorts. She sneered in fury; just because she was dressed up didn't give him the right to openly comment on her body. "Got a problem, jackass?" she sneered to the lanky man, his eyes covered by a buckethat, his hands shoved in his pocket as he finished his catcall.

"Not one bit, sweetcheeks. Save me a dance in there?" he grinned, his stringly facial hair inching up with his widened smile. She shivered in disgust.

"No, thank you. Girls night, after all," she snapped back, turning her attention back to the phone call. "Min, please? I'm dying out here."

"I'm right around the corner! Sheesh, Sere, cover it up if you don't want attention!" Mina scolded. Serena laughed; Mina was one to talk. While she was fiercely loyal and committed to her fiancé, Malachite, she had no problem openly flirting and getting what she wanted out of any man. Not that she ever dared to cross a line; in fact, Mina probably thought she was innocently talking with a male colleague. But the way men tripped over their feet just to be in eyeshot of her, it was amazing that Malachite was able to keep his cool.

"Puh-lease, Mina. I _am_ open and available. I just have high expectations, is all," Serena replied as she flipped her hair over her shoulder, out of its original clip from earlier on, the curls falling in twisted bends over her exposed shoulders. After the whole Darien debacle, she called up Mina, Raye and Lita for an immediate girls night at Vertex, their favorite dance club. Sure, in her red-eyed fury she may have picked out an outfit that accentuated her body a little bit too much for her normal confidence level, but after the humiliation she just experienced, finding a suitable gentleman dance partner wouldn't be the worst way to rebound from this disastrous night.

"We're pulling up now. Hang tight." The call disconnected, Mina and Raye soon slipping out of a tan vehicle outside of the club. Serena approached them with a hug, appreciative that they were willing to drop their plans and make their way out tonight. Once she explained what had happened, the girls were more than willing to bring a dose of cheer back to their friend, especially in the form of tequila shots.

"Where's Lita?" Serena asked, noticing she wasn't with them.

"She said once she finished cleaning up the kitchen she would be down here. I guess Nate's parents were in town and they had them over for dinner." Serena nodded, recalling that Lita had mentioned her worry about trying to impress Nate's Mom with one of her dinners. If Lita didn't aspire to be a fitness guru, she easily could have succeeded in opening her own restaurant. Her culinary expertise were top notch. Serena was quite blessed to have a friend who loved to cook, and she often times would devour whatever new dish Lita imagined up one day. She grinned, recalling a batch of lemon ginger cookies Lita made for everyone, to which Serena easily ate a dozen of them. It was one of the first times they had spent together as a group, and their laughter and total surprise of Serena's endless appetite had emerged.

Linking arms, the girls wandered into Vertex, paying the $10 cover as they entered into the posh establishment. Strobe lights of magenta, violet, and blues streamed across the black walls, electronic dance music pulsing through their ears. The crowd was large, but not too crowded, as they made their way up to the bar. "Three shots of tequila and three Absolut martini's, dirty!" Mina shouted to the bartender, who quickly got to work once she placed a black platinum credit card on the table with a $10 on the side. Three shot glasses filled with the potent liquor was placed in front of them, to which they quickly shot back. Three martini's quickly replaced them, to which each girl thanked the bartender before grabbing their drinks. Not quite ready to hit the dance floor yet, the girls grabbed an open table while they waited for Lita's arrival.

"Let's check out the prospects, shall we?" Serena said, the effects of the tequila already starting to kick in. Her eyes scanned the floor, noticing a group of guys close to their age in the distance. "There," she stated, pointing her finger to the men. There were three men, a tall one with wavy, sandy blonde hair, an average-height guy with shaggy hair but ripped muscles, and a slender, but very tall man with a solid frame and longer, black hair. A smile twitched at the corners; yes, one of them would do nicely, she thought.

Looking over, she saw Raye was briefly impressed. "See something you like there, Raye?" Serena teased, to which Raye rolled her eyes. Raye was single by choice. In high school and throughout college, she was convinced she had found her true love and soulmate. Wren was a great guy; he came from Britain when he was 9, had aspirations of attending law school after college, and was completely devout to Raye. Serena was convinced that had that tragedy not struck, had he not gotten hit by that car that dark, rainy night, they would have married right when they finished their undergrad. Raye was devastated, but mourned by attacking the law books and finishing law school a year early in his honor and memory. She persevered, working diligently and bringing top-notch attorney services to her clients. While it was five years later, Raye still had a hard time moving on, although recently had begun dipping her toes back into the dating scene. Just a few weeks ago she had dinner with one of her colleagues, Jadeite, but she said it was lacking in comfortable conversation that wasn't about work.

"The one with the hair isn't so bad," Raye shrugged. Serena grinned; it was something! She shuffled over to Raye and nudged her in the arm.

"Come over with me. I want to talk to the tall one." She motioned over to the tallest of the bunch, whose facial profile was illuminated by the bright lights of the club. From a distance he was pretty cute, at least that's what the empty stomach and tequila was telling her at that moment. Linking arms, she weaved Raye over in their direction, stopping discretely at the electronic jukebox, scrolling through some of the music selections. Serena's eyes drifted intentionally towards the cute guy and back to the screen, successfully capturing his attention. Serena put on a seductive pout as she falsely tapped the sides of her pocket-less shorts, insinuating she did not have the dollar to purchase her song, mentally grinning when she saw him strolling over to them.

"Anything good on there?" a deep voice carried over the music as he arrived, leaning his arm atop the machine. Serena looked up; he was certainly more gorgeous than he looked from a distance.

"Yeah, I found a great remix by Pitbull, but I forgot that my shorts didn't have pockets, and I left my purse with my friend over there," she nodded toward the group in the distance. He briefly looked back to the girls, then back at Serena with a lopsided smile.

"I'll buy your song if you'll dance with me to it," he bartered. She smiled.

"You drive a hard bargain, but I accept," she replied. He slid the bill into the machine, allowing her to press her selection. The music began, a Latin pulse fused with high tempo beats echoing through the large space. A handful of people made their way to the dance floor, Serena and the tall guy included, Raye nodding and grinning in approval as she made her way back to the table. Soon their bodies were dancing to the beat on the crowded dance floor, moving in closer to one another as the song went on. The song soon faded into another similar track, and neither party seem disinterested in separating from one another. In fact, as the songs continued on and the dancing became more intimate, his hands eventually made their way to her hips as he pulled her in a bit closer. She closed her eyes, giving in to the movement and touches, the feeling of the alcohol and the sensual touches igniting her sexuality. However, after about twenty minutes of feverish dancing, her body signaled for some liquid, to which she asked him to join her at the bar. He followed suit, away from the crowd, and they engaged in slight conversation as he bought them a round.

"Seiya," he introduced himself eventually, giving her a dazzling smile.

"Serena," she replied, sipping into her fresh martini.

"So what brings you out tonight?" he inquired, picking up his bottle of beer and bringing it to his lips.

"Girls night recovery after one hell of a bad date," she shrugged.

"Is your evening looking up yet?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with flirtation. She felt herself begin to blush, but played into it.

"No complaints yet," she said, tossing her hair over her bare shoulder. She tossed him a playful smile before taking another sip of her drink. "But I think I need to get back to my girlfriends for a bit. Save me another dance later on?" she asked.

He frowned. "But I like where I am right now," he replied, moving his hand on hers. She looked up, slightly flattered, but didn't want to abandon her girlfriends all night long. She may have come with the intent of finding a companion, but she wasn't the kind of friend to just ditch her group. But, he was cute, and he did just buy her a drink. Her smile strained slightly; maybe she'd toss a few looks over to the girls to have them come over, but could keep the conversation flowing.

"Do you, now?" she teased, looking over at Raye quickly before snapping her eyes back on Seiya. He seemed pleased when she turned her attention back to him in the way his eyes appeared to be locked in on hers. Her nerves suddenly felt a little on edge with the way he stared at her, as if he was irritated.

"That I do," he purred, brushing her loose hair behind her ear intimately, then trailed his finger down the length of her exposed arm. She frowned slightly, unsure if she was comfortable with the contact, especially with the look that was in his eye as he did so. "So, tell me Serena, what do you do?" he asked, interrupting her hesitation.

"I'm a writer," she replied vaguely before taking in a small sip of her drink. He waited for her to elaborate, which she did not.

"Anything interesting I may have read?" he asked, raising his eyebrow as well as his beer bottle.

"Probably not," she shrugged. A few moments of silence passed between them, to which Serena began gazing around the bar again, feeling a little bored. He was cute and all, but the deafening silence that continued on between them made her realize she didn't really feel any type of connection with him. The urge to go back to her table was growing, especially when she saw that Lita had arrived. "Hey, I'm sorry but my friend just arrived. I'm going to stop over and say hello. I'll see you around?" she politely excused herself, but felt her wrist grabbed for the second time that night.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I've warranted your dismissal yet, have I?" Seiya asked, irritation laced in his words. "I mean, have I crossed a line or something?"

"No, not at all, it's honestly that my friend got here, that's all," she said, feeling his grasp tighten a bit more.

"So? I'm sure you see your friend quite often. I bought you your drink, and I'd appreciate it if you stayed here with me until you finished it," he snapped, tugging at her to come back to him. Irritated, she splashed the drink in his face, temporarily loosening his grip as she wrestled her wrist free. "Why you," he muttered as she twisted it out, but only made it a step before he tried to grab at her again.

"Leave me alone!" she shrieked as she felt him encase her slender wrist with his larger hand, panic suddenly rising in her.

"What is it with you girls? You dress all sexual and dance with us, then when it's time to spend time with us you want nothing to do with us. Seriously, am I an ATM or something?" he accosted, his grip tightening as he made his declaration.

"I don't even know you, who are you to talk to me like that?!" she challenged, twisting her wrist a bit more, her skin burning as she tried to wring it free. "Let me go!" she cried out louder, spectators now turning around and paying attention to the scene. Her cries were followed up with a loud thud, her wrist now freed as she ripped it back behind her, her view of Seiya now blocked by a tall, broad shouldered man. As she raised her glance to catch his face, she quickly realized that her savior was none other than Darien.

"What the fuck!" Seiya nasally squeaked as he grasped his nose.

"Do as she says and leave her alone," Darien coolly instructed, his impressive physique cloaked in a black clothing accentuating the authority and order in his voice. Seiya took one quick look at him, then back at her, before rolling his eyes.

"You can have the cocktease," he said as he snatched his beer and walked away. Darien's hand was coiled tightly, but Serena tapped his shoulder, relaxing his fist as he turned around to see her. In that moment she wanted to be irritated with him still, considering he was a womanizing asshole earlier that evening. However, he did just stop a random bar loser from practically assaulting her.

"Thank you," she simply said.

"Nobody should talk to you like that, let alone grab you. Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his voice. She looked at her wrist; it was still stinging from her trying to wrestle herself out of his grip, but when she did a couple of bends, it didn't hurt too badly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said. "Why are you here?" she inquired, suddenly realizing the obscure coincidence that in all of Tokyo, he would be in the exact same club that she was.

He dodged her question, instead taking her hand and looking at her wrist. "It's quite red. Come on, let's get you some ice." He led her over to a smaller, quieter part of the bar, situated for VIP's, while she briefly looked at her wrist and began to panic, a notable red cuff brightening on her already fair skin. Once they arrived to his seat, he gestured for her take a seat at the edge of the booth, to which she complied. Taking a couple napkins, he grabbed a few pieces of ice from the ice bucket and wrapped them around the delicate paper before placing it on her wrist. "Thank you," she added before taking over the hold of the makeshift icepack, the cool sensation taking over the burning feeling. She sighed, her nerves slightly calming a bit. Her mind was still processing everything that had happened in the short time being at the dance club, her eyes darting quickly over to Darien, who had picked his glass up and took a sip of his amber liquid. His eyes caught hers, and she quickly detached them, downcasting them in the direction of her wrist and the ice.

"That guy did not have any right to talk to you that way. I hope you know that," Darien reiterated. "It really pisses me off when guys think that they can just talk to people like that."

"Yeah, well, some guys like to stare at women's asses and tits while they're out on a date, too, so, I guess I need to pick them more carefully, don't I?" she retorted. Darien was stunned silent for a moment, but then took another sip of his drink.

"Guys like that truly are the worst," he said, which Serena raised an eyebrow to. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I really did not mean to do that."

She sighed. "It would be rude of me to not forgive you after you helped me out back there," she said as she removed the ice pack off of her wrist. She placed it on the table before standing up. "I'm going to go back to my friends. I'm sure they're wondering where I've disappeared to all night." He nodded in response, but before she could walk away, he spoke.

"Can we have a do-over?" he asked. "I didn't mean to be such an ass earlier tonight."

She frowned. "You really think that's such a good idea? I mean, look at us. We seem like a horrible idea," she stated, thinking of all of their exchanges and meetings. Sure, he was gorgeous, but they had no chemistry. "We could be good sparring partners, but I honestly think that would be it."

He sighed, rejected. "Can I at least take you out then as a thank you for what you've done for my sister and for my behavior?" She pursed her lips in thought. "Just for sushi. No funny business. Maybe we can take a step towards being cordial with each other."

"Fine," she answered. "Sushi and that's it. And I get to pick the date."

"Okay."

"Alright."

A few moments of silence lingered between them, and she took those moments and used them greedily to satisfy her own mental lusting of him. He had done it again, a red aura of passion emitting off of him, invading her senses and heightening her profiling of him. His button down shirt clung to him like a second skin, and she could see his defined muscles underneath the delicate, expensive fabric that covered him. His shirt was loosely tucked into a pair of slim-tailored pants, accentuating the curve of his hip and tracing his sculpted leg muscles. In the strobing lights, his skin color made him seem even more exotic.

Interrupting her eyefuck session, she quickly spun around on her heel to make her way back to her friends. With every step, rather than calling him every synonym for jackass in the dictionary, she found herself desperately fighting the urge to turn around.

Maybe sushi was a bad idea.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys! Sorry for my longish absence - I actually had to have carpal tunnel surgery, so my left hand was out of commission for a while. It's still healing, and having two young kids does not help the healing process work, so typing for long periods of time actually gets really achy really fast.

Thank you for your patience. I hope this semi-long chapter makes up for it!

Enjoy!

* * *

Serena leaned outside of the small restaurant, the broken wooden door tapping against the frame as the wind blew through the narrow alleyway. She informed Darien to meet her here at 7:00, and it was now 7:10. She grumbled; she may not be the most attentive person, but she was hardly late to her events. At least, not anymore. Getting your ass chewed out and your hard work ripped up in front you is one quick and efficient way to get you on the straightened, punctual path.

"You weren't kidding, were you?" a voice echoed down an alley, startling Serena to look up from her watch. Darien was at the end of the alleyway, a look of disgust and confusion etched on his entitled face. She smirked; it was quite the nice contrast seeing the rich playboy standing in an alleyway about to eat at one of the cheapest restaurants in Tokyo. The sight alone of him in his expensive denim, tailored shirt and black loafers in this shabby area was worth accepting the invitation.

"Darien, I never joke about food," Serena replied as she urged him to make his way down into the shadows. She watched as he hesitated, but soon made his way to her. "This is the ultimate gem of Tokyo," she announced as she grabbed the worn brass handle to the wooden screen door, holding it wide for him to follow her in. Her heart warmed at the sight of the restaurant: the old, faded subway tiles of the walls, the small, wobbly tables, the single pane of glass separating the counter from the food, and the ripped vinyl of the barstools.

"You can't be fucking serious," he muttered as she walked further in. Turning her head, she watched as he judged the interior, a look of repugnance sprawled across his beautiful features. She shook her head.

"Oh, I'm serious, Darien. You can't always judge a book by its cover," she knowingly said before pulling out a stool. Directionally, she patted the top of it. "Come on now, it won't bite," she taunted. Hesitantly, he made his way over, inspecting the seat before slipping onto the seat. He looked wary of resting his arms or hands on the countertop, to which she rolled her eyes.

"God, Darien, you'd think you've never seen a sushi restaurant before," she said as she rolled her eyes to his resistance.

"Oh, I have been, just one not this," he paused, "dated."

"Décor doesn't make the place, you know. It's all about the quality, the taste, the experience of the meal you are paying for," Serena retorted.

"Yes, but ambiance makes for the environment you are dining in, which plays a big factor in the experience of your meal," he countered. She rolled her eyes again.

"You're telling me you could have the best shrimp roll you've ever tasted, but if it was 500 yen and in this place, it couldn't compare to one that was 1800 yen in a black and chrome decorated restaurant? Please," she argued. "Besides," she added as a graying-haired man walked out from behind a fabric blue and cream curtain, "Sakaya-sama here is licensed to prepare fugu," she smiled wickedly. "And that, my dear Darien, is what is on the menu tonight."

"Oh Hell no," he said. "I am not having Fugu Sashi prepared here. Are you nuts?!" he exclaimed, pushing back from his seat in protest.

"Fine," she said, irritation glistening in her words, "but I am. Have a tuna roll if it'll make you feel better." She turned her attention to the sushi chef. "How are you today, Sakaya-sama?"

"Old," he gruffly replied. She snickered.

"But still the brilliant chef, right?" she cheerfully replied. He grunted again.

"Always," he said before he busied himself making Fugu Sashi. "Darien, you do the chances of a person dying from eating Fugu are rather low," she said as she watched the chef make hers. "Kind of like skydiving. I mean, the risk is always there and all, but isn't it worth it when you get to bite into this amazingly delicious cut? I mean, Sakaya-sama here gets it so thin you can see the chrysanthemum on the plate crystal clear."

She watched as Darien registered what she was saying, a frown affixed on his gorgeous lips, clearly battling the present thought in his mind. "Fine," he finally replied. "I'll try it, but you're going first. I'm not dying on your account."

"Fine," she agreed, watching him again as he slowly took his seat again. There was a lull of silence for a moment, but Darien soon made conversation.

"How did you even find this place?" he asked. "I mean, it's not exactly in the best seen area."

She smiled. "I've been coming here since college. I accidentally found it one day when I was cutting through the alleyway to get from work back to University. I was starving and wasn't making a lot of money at the time, so I came in to grab the cheapest meal I could get. I gave him 500 yen and I had a plate of fresh sushi sliced up and placed in front of me. I kid you not, he gave me a white tuna roll, a unagi roll, and a California roll. Turns out, he sells his sushi super cheap. And not only is it cheap, but it's the best I have ever had in my life. Nowhere compares to this place."

"So why isn't he, you know, 'on the map?' Famous by you if you're such a good columnist?" Darien asked.

"He won't let me," Serena pouted. "I told him I could easily triple his business, but he doesn't want it."

"Damn customers coming in at all times, I don't need 'em," he mumbled loud enough for them to hear. "Ruins my shows." Soon thereafter, the clatter of the places were the next noises heard in the restaurant, the Fugu Sashi laid beautifully in the shape of a flower, and Darien's tuna roll sliced and laid out alongside gentle dollops of wasabi and thinly sliced ginger. Serena's mouth watered as she stared at her meal, clapped her hands together and exclaimed "itadakimasu!" before grasping her chopsticks. She looked at Darien, who was staring at her in bewilderment.

"Don't be so dramatic, Darien," she said as she clasped the thin piece of blowfish in between her chopsticks, the translucent meat slowly making its way up to her mouth. Separating her lips, she popped the meat into her mouth and took a tender bite, savoring its very subtle and clean, not tough in any way, nor rubbery or chewy. The fish taste was very mild, the texture smooth and uniform. She took in a deep breath; the taste was sublime.

Part of her contemplated pretending to fake her own death, or pretend to hold her breath to scare the shit out of him. But for poor Sakaya-sama's sake, she opted to not terrify the wits out of him. He would probably have a damn heart attack. Instead, she stretched out her limbs, took in a deep, over-exaggerated breath, and rested her arms behind her head. "Yes, now THAT is amazing." She tossed a sly grin over at Darien, who looked like he just let out the largest inhale of his life. Sure, Fugu was poisonous, and there was always a risk she could die from eating it, but she trusted Sakaya-sama.

"You can breathe now," she said as she clasped another piece of meat between her chopsticks. "I'm not going to die. And if I was… I mean, to die by food? I could move on to the Heavens knowing my tombstone said 'the food lover was killed by the very thing she loved the most in this world.' Kind of ironic, you know? Almost like my lover murdering me, but it was my dinner instead," she rambled as she wiggled her eyebrows, popping the fragile piece of fish in her mouth.

"Amazing," Darien finally said as he began to show signs of life. "I can't believe you're not dead."

"You got to believe in the power of love, Darien, and in my case, I love Fugu Sashi," she replied as she continued to savor her dish. He inched in closer to her, eyeing her dish, his eyes staring down in sudden interest.

"So, how good is it?" he inquired, eyeing her plate. His reply from her was a piece of meat shoved in his mouth, none too kindly to say the least.

"You tell me," she replied. At first, his eyes widened in bewilderment that she so boldly shoved potential deadly food in her mouth. But once the initial shock wore off and the flavor exploded on his tongue, he began to gingerly chew the meat, the flavor soft and inviting, magnificent and addicting.

"Unbelievable," he muttered once he swallowed. She was completely right. Sitting in this dump of a restaurant, its dated and dirty appearance completely uninviting, he just tasted the best sushi he ever experienced in his life. "You're ridiculous. You don't just shove food into someone's mouth! What if I was allergic? What if it was a bad piece? What if I didn't want any and was just asking!" He paused, her face stoic as he calmed down. "Give me more," he commanded, grabbing his chopsticks and reaching over to her plate.

"Get lost, tuna roll boy," she retorted. "This bad boy is mine!"

"Oh no, you can't let me taste that and not have any more!"

"Oh yes I can!"

"Come on!"

"Nope!"

"Seriously?"

She smirked. "Of course I'm not serious. Here," she offered as she scooped up some of the cuts, dropping them on his plate. In response, though, she snatched one of his tuna roll slices, popping it into her mouth. "Mmm. So good," she said before she turned her attention back to her meal.

The two of them completed their meals in minimal dialogue, enjoying the savory dinner. When it came time to pay, the two of them bickered some more, finally settling on paying for their own meals as to not further receive some irritating looks from the sushi chef. Pushing open the little wooden door, Serena exited out of the restaurant and took in a greedy inhale. "Man, that was so good," she announced as she stretched her limbs. "Aren't you glad you listened to me?" she added, looking over at Darien. He ran his fingers through his bangs, the ebony strands untangling against his long, tan fingers.

"Fine, meatball head, I'll give it to you; the place was good," he conceited. She scoffed.

"Meatball head? I take you out for divine, world class sushi and you're still calling me meatball head?" she gawked. "You're so infuriating!" she declared as she stomped down the alleyway. He threw his head back and laughed while following closely behind.

"Did you think I would forget about that?" he asked, a wicked grin across his face. She rolled her eyes, but they quickly narrowed as began walking over to his vehicle she hadn't seen before. She pursed her lips, briefly taking in the sleek, sexy demeanor of the jet black Infiniti hugging the curb. Her eyebrow raised in response as he opened is passenger door, motioning for her to get in.

"Where are we going?" she inquired, her feet still planted in the same spot.

"To show you that you, too, can't judge a book by its cover, no matter what kind of place it is," he challenged. Moderately intrigued, she made her way to the car and slipped onto the inky black leather of the passenger's seat. Once again, she took to admiring the car, its interior every bit as luxurious as she imagined. In a flash, he was in the driver's seat, bringing the engine to life as he pressed the dial on the dash.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked again as he merged into traffic. His lips twitched into a sly grin, followed by silence. "Fine, don't tell me," she said as she crossed her arms before looking out at traffic. As much as she pretended to be annoyed by his act, she was moderately impressed. For being an affluent snob, which she so presumptuously dubbed him, he was actually kind of fun to be around. About ten minutes later, they pulled up in front what appeared to be an old factory. She could already feel her judgmental tendencies brewing when they pulled into the side lot, immediately noticing the lot of expensive and luxury vehicles safely guarded by a parking attendant. Darien slipped the car into the parking spot and opened his door, Serena following suit. Closing the door, she opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off.

"No judging," he said as he pointed his finger at her. She pressed her mouth into a firm line before letting out a groan of frustration. "That's the deal. I went to your sushi place, so let's go."

"Fine," she said, the tone coming out like a four year old throwing a temper tantrum. She followed closely behind him, the two entering the repurposed building. Serena observed the interior, noticing that the place was converted into a multi-purpose venue. The interior was modern, filled with glass panels, steel and exposed ceilings, but also kept the integrity of the history of the building by leaving the worn brick exposed and adding some wooden touches. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand on the small of her back, steering her to turn to her left. It was a bar, she quickly noted, that Darien had brought her to, and one that was every ounce of predictable that she expected. She inwardly sighed; it was always the same: renovated building, trendy set-up. As they walked in, she followed the waitress up the metal stairs to a second level, then to a small round booth that would only fit two or three comfortably. _Probably so they could squeeze in as many tables as possible_ , she quickly assumed, only to notice that there was ample space between each table, and ones of various sizing throughout the floor. _Okay, maybe not. But still way too trendy._

The waitress, who was expectantly dressed all in black, handed them both black printed cardstock with a metallic silver print. Serena raised her eyebrow to Darien, who was skimming the drink menu. Her eyes glanced at the paper, which was slightly difficult to read with the ambiance of the bar, but she eventually decided on something unique. "A melon mule," she requested when the waitress, a typical slender, long haired, winged-liner young woman, turned to her.

"Will that be all?" she asked with a final scribble on her paper, her eyes fluttering back to Darien.

"An order of your assorted petit fours, please," he amended. Serena looked over at him, a little surprised, but he just smiled coyly.

"Excellent choice, sir. I will be back with your drinks shortly," she said as she dismissed herself, her heels clicking against the wooden floors.

Serena looked back over at Darien and found herself annoyed the amusement on his face. "Okay, so care to explain to me what is so great about this place?" His response was another mischievous smile. "So far, I'm unimpressed."

"I expected nothing less," he replied as he propped up his elbows and rested his chin delicately on his folded hands. "Normally, my dates are more appreciative when I bring them here. It's extremely difficult to get in to."

"Yeah, vain women are usually like that," she replied while rolling her eyes. "It sounds like you spend a great deal of time entertaining a bunch of self-obsessed bimbos."

Darien laughed; "I've met my fair share," he acknowledged. "It's really amazing what some women will do to get a guy with money and devilishly good looks to pay attention to you."

"Please, you're not that good looking," she huffed. He chuckled again. "And I certainly have no interest in your looks or your money," she added.

"I know," he replied perceptively. Their drinks arrived, clinking against the table, as well as a small square dish with six dainty, expertly frosted cakes. "This is why I wanted to bring you here," he said as he motioned to the treats on the plate in front of them. "While this place is your run-of-the-mill typical trendy bar, it also has a well renowned bakery."

Serena was quite surprised. "Really? I've never heard of this place before."

"I'm not surprised, given your obvious distain for places like this." Serena's eyes trailed as Darien picked up one of the treats, dipped in a white coating with a light pink, crisscrossed, hand-drizzle. His hand inched closer to hers, and she found herself allured by the intimacy of the gesture. Her lips parted as the treat approached her mouth, and took a bite. Instantly, her tastebuds were exploding with the flavors of strawberry shortcake, the light and fluffy texture complementing the whipped frosting and real strawberries that were in the center. For such a small treat, it packed a burst of fresh – certainly not imitated – strawberries and cream. As she savored the treat, she closed her eyes before she let out a sigh of content, ultimately admitting that the treat was absolutely divine. "Good?" Darien asked, to which Serena vigorously nodded.

"I'm impressed," Serena amended. "That was out of this world. What are the other flavors?"

Darien smiled. "The yellow with the swirl of cream is Limoncello, and the other one is amaretto," he said as he pointed at the two additional flavors.

"My god," she said as she reached for the hazelnut, admiring the layering and the ability to top the treat with such delicate swirls of chocolate buttercream and chopped nuts. She bit into the treat, the flavor of hazelnut overpowering her senses as she chewed at the delicate and spongy cake. "How did you find this place?" she asked.

"Ami," he replied. "Her best friend is the head baker here; Yaten Kou. They met at culinary school."

"Amazing," she replied. "Seems that Ami knows some friends in high places."

"Indeed," Darien agreed. "So, while this place may be just another trendy bar on the outside, it had a vision to service creative cocktails and elegant desserts to their patrons. I think it's a unique concept, no?"

Serena paused, but no sooner did she begin nodding her head. "You are not wrong," she said reaching for the handle of her drink. Bringing the copper mug to her lips, she took in a greedy sip of the drink, the flavors of melon vodka, ginger beer, and cantaloupe swirling in her mouth. Placing her mug back on the table, she began to think about her misgivings to places like this – ones that followed the trends – and her quick dismissal of their offerings. As much as she hated admitting it, perhaps Darien was right after all; just because the décor was trendy didn't mean the chefs were automatically going to be terrible. "And I hate admitting when I'm wrong," she added.

"So do I," he agreed as he brought his drink to his lips.

She smiled. "So, we do have something in common," she said as she raised her glass to him. He reciprocated, the glasses clinking in apology for each other's original misgivings. She smiled as she sipped at her drink while the conversation flowed between the two of them for the next few hours. Serena quickly found herself falling _again_ for Darien's matching wit, intelligence, and his smoky, alluring navy eyes. When it was evident that it was time to conclude the evening, she found herself disappointed that it was time to settle the bill. Making a reach for her purse, she grabbed her wallet, but he quickly passed his card over to the waitress before she could make an attempt to offer him any sort of money.

"Let me give you something for the bill," she offered as she pulled out a few paper bills.

"Honestly, it's fine. I appreciate the act of you at least reaching for your wallet, I must say," he teased. Had it been earlier in the evening, Serena probably would have told him to go to Hell, but since spending time with him, she found herself giggling like a schoolgirl. Upon that realization, she abruptly stopped and cleared her throat in embarrassment.

"Thank you," she squeaked out as she replaced the cash in her wallet. The waitress passed Darien back his card and his copy of the receipt, Serena's eyes bulging as he passed her a crisp 10,000 yen bill like it was a 1,000. Slipping out of the booth, they made their way down the stairway, out of the entrance, and back out into the night's sky. A slightly cooler night than lately, Serena rubbed at her bare arms, wishing she had a jacket as the air nipped at her. The chill quickly subsided though when she noticed that Darien was a mere couple of inches away from her. Tilting her head up, she looked up at him, her breathing slowed as he smiled back down at her.

"That was fun," he huskily said, the deep tones in his voice tugging at something deep in her.

"It was," she agreed, a sensual smile spreading across her face.

"We should do that again," he suggested as he moved closer to her, willingly invading the small amount of space left between them.

"Yeah," she agreed once more, intoxicated by his cologne, the spicy, musky scent invading her nostrils as he moved in closer to her. She could feel her heart racing, her hands sweating, her breath quickening as he motioned to close the final gap between them in bewitchingly slow movements. Unable to contain herself any further, she went in the last ten percent, lifting up to her tiptoes and pressing her lips against his. She could feel him startle at first, but no sooner did he place his hands on her hips did she feel herself melt into him. His mouth was so warm, the caress of his lips softer than she could have imagined. He tasted cautiously with his tongue, and Serena opened her mouth with a low moan. He tasted like cake and brandy, a lethal concoction, as she wrapped her arms around him, unwilling and unwanting to let this moment end. His hands left her hips and encircled them instead, pressing her petite frame into his own, his tongue dancing with hers, greedily tasting each other.

It wasn't until a drop of rain hit her cheek did she come out of her trance, but when a handful of sprinkles dropped on them did they finally pull apart. Serena licked her lips, fighting for her breath as she looked at the ravishing man, but the rain on her bare arms quickly interrupted her desirable thoughts. He grabbed her hand and quickly ushered her to his car, shielding her from the unwelcomed change in weather, before joining her in the vehicle as he slid in to his own spot. They looked at one another, a similar hunger reflecting in his eyes, the heat between them radiating as she fought to take control of the situation. It had been too long since she was intimate with a guy, they just had a great evening, and he was an expert kisser! She bit her lip, trying to decide if she should kiss him again, but as her mind warred with herself, she felt his hand slide up her cheek and turn her towards him.

"Let me take you home," he said, "because if I kiss you again, I don't know if I'll be able to stop."

"Okay," she said softly, not exactly sure if she wanted him to stop. His hand stayed frozen on her cheek for a few moments, but eventually moved as he turned the car on. Backing out of his parking spot, he made his way down the rain-coated street, following the directions she was giving him as they made her way to her apartment. Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up in front of her building, the unimpressive gray and white building beckoning her to come inside. She sighed, not really wanting to have the evening end.

"Thank you for tonight," she said as she looked at him, his their once-styled bangs hanging in his face. He smiled, the gleam of white from his teeth peeking through his lips, and she found herself fixated on them again.

"No, thank you," he said. "I had fun." Another silent moment passed, to which Serena turned to open her door. However, as she went to pull at the door handle, she felt her other arm being tugged at, twisting her body over the center counsel and into another feverish kiss, only in the warmth and confined setting of his car. She whimpered as he ran his fingers through her hair, tiling her head further into him as he feverishly kissed her once more. They broke apart, their panting fogging up the window, as she tried to decide what to do next.

 _Invite him up, Serena. Invite him up. You want this. He wants this. You're consenting adults. You can do this. Why are you hesitating?_

"So," she struggled to say as she looked at her purse, which she was clutching on to dear life.

 _GIRL, WHY THE FUCK YOU HESITATING?_

"Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked. She nodded.

 _Girl, what are you doing?_

"Text me?"

 _You fucking serious? He wants you. Look at his dick, it's fully outlined in those pants, girl. Come on._

"Definitely."

 _WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME? I DON'T WANT TO WAIT._

"I'll talk to you soon, then." Opening the door, she stepped out into the dampened atmosphere, then closed the door. The car drove off into the night, turning at the next left, before it was completely out of sight. She sighed as she blew a sexually frustrated breath into her bangs, begrudgingly walking into the lobby of her apartment.

 _You prude._

* * *

Yay for SxD finally breaking onto the scene! Hope you guys enjoyed :D

I'll be back soon with more!

Love, MU


	7. Chapter 7

_Hi guys! Thank you so much for your reviews, they really are inspiring and great feedback!_

 _Also, they serve (at least for me) as a great motivator. Seeing that people are enjoying my work makes me want to continue to produce. So if you could, please stop by and say hi and leave any feedback :)_

 _I hope you guys like this chapter. I got a little stuck midway through, but I found a way to get what was brewing in my mind into words, and I promise you, some feistiness is within._

 _I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing it!_

 _MU_

* * *

 _"_ _I think she finally got the hint"_ Darien mentally concluded as he shut his penthouse door on Ai, his latest "acquaintance." She was beautiful with rich, wavy brown hair, endless curves, and had quite a talented mouth. But that was just it: she had _quite_ a mouth, including an overdramatic, high-pitched declaration as she marched out with her belongings. He rolled his eyes in recall of her excuse to come over because she had 'forgotten' something; why she thought he was so stupid to fall for the oldest trick in the book would remain a mystery. Not like he cared, anyway. She had become consuming with her constant texting and attempts to make whatever they had began two months ago an actual relationship.

He had told her from day one that he wasn't interested in a commitment; only sex. And she had agreed, saying she had wanted the same thing. In her speech, she had bit out a sob about hoping she would be the one to change him.

While he responded yet again in cool tones about how he wasn't interested in a relationship, he found himself thinking about a certain blonde who had recently captured his attention.

As he listened to Ai stomp down the short hallway to the elevator, he raised his eyebrow in response to his mind's thought process. So quick he was to dismiss Ai for the feisty blonde he had been spending time with lately. The girl who had humiliated him in front of staff, challenged him openly, dismissed him at every turn, and he found himself _enjoying_ it. He mentally slapped his hand to his forehead in admittance; what self-respecting man _enjoys_ being talked to like that?!

Whatever the reason, he moved on from the disturbing self-admission and looked out the window. The view from the 56th floor of Hiroo was dense and filled with buildings, his apartment having a direct view of the beautiful Arisugawa Park. He stared at the park-goers coming on and off the paths, and he found himself daydreaming about taking Serena to see the waterfall. _I could see her liking that_ , he thought with a smile.

A week ago he never would have thought he would be experiencing these… feelings. At first, it annoyed him, considering feelings were overrated. Feelings aren't part of any of his transactions, professionally or personally. Contractual, consensual, and clear terms were how he liked to operate in both of his worlds. At first, he thought that maybe she would be someone that would fall into his original scheme, but the more time he spent together, the more he found that he didn't want that. He wanted…

 _More._

He gulped. He wasn't good at more _._ Work always was number one in his life, and when he was on his way up the corporate ladder, more simply was out of the question. But now that he was 34, working his way up the corporate ladder in triumph, surpassing his mentor's in both title and expectation, he was curious to see if he could succeed at this new opportunity in front of him.

He looked back over to the park, particularly at a couple that walked hand in hand down the paved trail that wound its way throughout the grass and smiled.

Perhaps he could.

A vibrating device in his pocket quickly interrupted his thoughts. Reaching for his phone, he slid his finger across the band on the screen. "Chad," he greeted informally to friend on the other end of the cellular call.

"I need a huge favor," the frantic voice on the other end immediately bellowed.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, but, Andrew was supposed to go with me tonight on a double, and he canceled because his sister went into labor!"

Darien pursed his lips to the not-so-dire circumstance. "So, you need me."

"Come on, man. You're one of the best wingmen out there. And I really don't want to mess this one up," Chad urged on the phone. "Dinner's on me, man. Just please say yes."

Darien hesitated; technically, he wasn't in a relationship, but at the same time, he felt bad agreeing to it. But if it was just to help a friend out, it shouldn't be a big deal, right? He sighed.

"You owe me one," Darien said. He could hear Chad let out a huge exhale of relief.

"You rock, Dare. Meet me at 6:45 at the Winfield. They're arriving at 7."

"Alright, see you then." Darien ended the call with the press of his thumb, and then proceeded to stare at his phone in self-doubt. He frowned; he never doubted himself, ever. Maybe it was good he was going out tonight; he was not used to like feeling like this, nor was he sure yet if he liked it or not. He looked at the time on his phone, seeing that it was a little after five. Shrugging, he placed his phone on the charger and made his way to his desk, eager to redirect his thoughts to a facet in his life he excelled at: contract negotiations. Grabbing a stack of paper and a red pen, he began to go through the documentation, pleased at how quickly he was getting sucked into the language of mergers and acquisitions.

#

Scrubbing the oh-so-fabulous smelling Herbal Essenes grapefruit and mint shampoo into her dampened blonde roots, she briefly paused the thoughts of her current predicament and let out an over-commercialized moan as the suds began to grow into a crown of foam. Tipping her head back, she let the bubbles cascade down her length, dropping in heaps around her toes while the steam took on a delicious aromatic. She let out a soft hum as she rinsed the remainder of the shampoo out before reaching for the conditioner, the final step of her shower before she had to go out and face the music.

As a promise to a friend, a double date was about to commence. Not just any double date, she was going to go with Raye to meet up with someone she had met through a co-worker. And while she was more than happy to support her friend as she tiptoed into the dating wading pool, she felt like she was betraying the trust of someone she had surprisingly grown very fond of.

It wasn't like they were in a relationship, Serena reasoned, as she stepped out of the shower and into the fogged up confines of her cramped bathroom. If anything, they were just getting to know each other, mainly intimately at this point. An involuntary shiver washed over her as she recalled Darien's expert touch in between heated kisses. He was an intoxicating man, despite his arrogance. Her body craved him more than it had ever craved anyone before, and they hadn't even had sex yet!

The only thing she found missing, and part of the reason why she hadn't yet completely removed the underwear barrier, is that she found herself wanting the emotional craving as well. Their conversations, while not necessarily lacking, never seemed to be personal. Most of the time when they went out it was spent with idle chit chat followed by kisses and touches.

Not that it was necessarily a bad thing. While as open as a book with her friends, she sometimes found herself having a hard time talking about anything deep. Rather than delve into her past or her hopes and dreams (sans any and all food related questions), she turned to her wit. So, with no boundaries necessarily being established at this point, she didn't exactly think of them as being anything more than two people spending intimate time together. Thus, when Raye approached her and insisted she join in, she reluctantly accepted.

Reluctant was putting it nicely. Raye pretty much demanded she come _or else_. Serena was hesitant to learn what that meant, nor did she ever want to find out.

Raking the towel through her hair, she let it fall to the floor in a gentle plop before reaching for her round brush and blow dryer. Twisting the brush, she manipulated her hair dry in soft waves down her back. Replacing the dryer, she stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to her bedroom, slipping on a comfortable, yellow sundress embellished with white crochet along the hemline, as well as a white duster that fell a few inches above the skirt's hemline. Adding a simple pendant necklace, she reached for her eyeshadow, only for a knock at the door to startle her. She didn't even get a chance to stop before the door was thrown open, Raye standing in the middle of her floorplan with heaps of clothing and a furrowed look on her face. Serena raised an eyebrow.

"Hi-de-ho, Raye," Serena smiled, taking in thorough pleasure of Raye's disheveled thoughts.

"Don't hi-de-ho me, meatball brains," Raye snapped. "What the fuck am I supposed to wear to this?"

"Pull your panties out of your camel-toe," Serena countered as she placed her eyeshadow brush down on her dresser. "What's the issue?"

"Everything I own is too lawyer. I don't own anything date-worthy," she stated as she threw her clothes down on the couch one-by-one, pantsuit followed by blouse in pattern. As Serena browsed through Raye's makeshift display, she frowned in agreement.

"That may be true, but Raye, you can pull that corporate look off really good. Even when we go out just us girls you're dressed so crisply," Serena replied in encouragement. Raye scoffed.

"That's because I don't _want_ any man's attention usually! Women of power usually turn them off! Of course I found the guy who doesn't seem to be affected by that," she dramatically stated with her arms crossed. Serena continued to look at Raye's wardrobe, her eyes fixated on her gray business skirt-suit. Taking the skirt off the hanger, she fingered through her blouses, settling on a deep red sleeveless button-up.

"Put those on," Serena instructed to Raye as she shoved the articles into her arms. Raye frowned.

"It's not too corporate?" Raye asked in concern.

"No, it offers that slight nod to 'I'm a woman with authority,' but definitely gives some sex appeal. Go put that on while I dig for a statement necklace. And don't button the shirt up all the way!" Serena ordered as Raye drop-trou in the living area. Making her way to her bedroom, she dug through her jewelry box and pulled out an ivory white bubble necklace on a thick gold chain. Grinning, she walked back out into the living room, greeted by the site of Raye fretting over her outfit again. Walking behind her, she clasped the heavy piece of jewelry around her neck, then walked in front of her to make sure the shirt was open enough to show the necklace. After fussing with the collar a moment, she snapped her fingers in ah-ha moment, then went over to her closet and pulled out a pair of near-identical red heels with an ankle strap. Nodding in triumph, she thrusted them into Raye's arms.

"OK, now you have Kardashian appeal, not work appeal. And you may kiss my feet for how amazing I am," Serena gloated with a smug look on her face. Raye rolled her eyes, but nodded her head in complement.

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks, meatball head. Not bad!" Raye said as she slipped the heels on.

"Ugh, meatball head. How am I seriously still being called that?" Serena groaned as she made her way back to her dresser, Raye's laughter following her.

"That was too funny," Raye said as she smoothed out her skirt. "But in all seriousness, have you seen him since?"

"Yeah, he's on the cover, remember?" Serena said as she resumed her eyeshadow, intentionally omitting the additional alone times that they have "spent together."

"Oh, right. Well, it looks like it is almost time to head out. Want me to put in the order for a car?" Raye asked, Serena thankful for the subject change.

"Sure," Serena replied with a shrug. For how intensely she described her hatred for the man, she was reluctant to say how she was one quality date away from sleeping with him. Dismissing the thought, she closed up her eyeshadow pallet, grabbed her phone off her charger, and tossed it in her bag. "Ready to roll out?"

Raye nodded, and the two girls made their way down to the lobby and into their Uber. Serena smiled when she noticed how nervous Raye was; maybe she had finally found someone special?

"So, who's the guy?" Serena asked, suddenly realizing she had no idea what they were about to embark on.

Raye smiled softly. "I've known him for a little while now. I see him down at court quite often. He's a psychologist and works with court-appointed families. His name is Chad Kumada."

"Wow, takes a mentally tough person to work in such a profession," Serena commented. Raye nodded in agreement.

"We would always chat over coffee at the court house in between cases, but he asked me if I wanted to do dinner. I mean, I think I like him, but, at the same time, I don't know if I want to like him," Raye said quietly. "That's why I wanted to double up. Takes some of the pressure off," she said honestly.

"I'm here for you, girl. Who knows, maybe I'll like his friend and we can all ride off into the sunset together," Serena clasped her hands with hearts in her eyes.

"Hah, we will see. I guess his original single-friend can't come, so he's bringing someone else. Not too sure on the details if he's available or not," Raye said with a shrug.

"Oh come on now, that's not fair!" Serena pouted while Raye chuckled. The car decelerated, Raye announcing their arrival. Serena looked at the Winfield, the blue lights of the neon sign indicating its casual atmosphere. Letting out a soft sigh, she willed her way out of the car, ready to pair up with a complete stranger while rooting for her friend to hopefully find someone special. Raye pulled on the glass door, the bar instantly greeting them off to the right, where Raye told her they would meet up.

Of course, of all places of Tokyo, of all men to be sitting next to the brown-haired, goateed man at the high-top, was none other than Mr. Darien Shields.

And she saw red.

#

Darien sipped at his "top-shelf" whiskey as he watched Chad fidget with anticipation. He had never seen his college friend look so nervous before. Taking another sip, Darien grimaced at the cheap alcohol, wishing he had suggested someplace a little more impressive for them to go to. This place screamed Chad, though: casual and down to earth.

Darien slightly faltered when Chad stood up in haste, signaling to him that his date clearly had arrived. He brushed at the drops of alcohol on his black button-down before turning to see Chad intercept a black-haired woman that looked very familiar. However, what threw him completely off base was to see the blonde haired vision he couldn't get out of his mind.

"Raye, this is my friend Darien—" Chad began, but Raye quickly interjected.

"We've met before. Hi Darien," Raye said as she shook his hand. "We met when we visited his new restaurant," she briefly explained.

"Nice to see you again, Raye. I see you've brought Serena tonight," he added quickly, more interested in spending this pleasant surprise of events with her.

"Yes I have," Raye said, a large smile curling on her face. "And I must say, thank you for that brilliant nickname. It's become my new go-to."

Darien couldn't help but laugh. "Right? It's perfect!"

"Ugh, seriously?!" Serena scoffed. "If you're going to just call me meatball head all evening, I have better things to be doing." Darien snapped his eyes over to her, his smile wavering.

"Ok, ok, chill out, Serena," Raye said. "Let's grab a drink?"

"I'll get it for you," Chad interjected. "What would you ladies like?"

"Vodka cranberry," Serena bit out. Chad nodded and turned to Raye.

"I'll come with you," Raye said to Chad, the two of them departing the table for the bar, leaving Darien and Serena together. Darien grinned as Serena slipped into a seat, but not before admiring how adorable she looked in her bright yellow dress.

"You didn't seem to mind when I called you that the other night," Darien said huskily in her ear.

"Whatever," she bit out, strumming her fingers on the table. He raised his eyebrow to her curt tone.

"What's the problem?" he asked, officially noticing her bad mood.

"Oh, nothing," she said evasively.

"Bullshit."

"Psh," she huffed, turning her attention to the television.

"Now I'm confused," he said. "Did I do something wrong?"

Silence.

"Hello-o-o?" he asked again, only to receive a response of her eyebrows raising and her head turning further away. "Seriously?"

"Sorry I'm not the ideal date," Serena finally said in a haughty voice. "Must suck to be stuck with me."

 _She's pissed because I'm here… on a… 'double date?'_

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Psh," she responded again.

"You're seriously mad because you're set up with me tonight? You do realize you also were supposed to be set up with someone else, correct?"

Her eyes rolling made his fingers twitch with anger, his argumentative side starting to brew. But, for the sake of Chad, he took a deep breath.

"Fine, have it your way," he said as he snatched his drink, downing its entire contents.

 _This is going to be a long night._

#

Serena strummed her fingers on the high-top, unable to evaporate her anger. She had come here simply for moral support, not to find a love interest, unlike him. Given his playboy history, she could only imagine he was here to conquest a new woman.

No fucking way in hell was she going to let him get away with it, either.

Taking a gulp of her drink, she continued to keep her eyes focused on the terribly boring sporting event on TV rather than look at Darien, who was obviously watching her. She didn't care that his reasoning made perfect sense. She especially didn't care that he was clearly frustrated with her response. And she most definitely refused to care that he looked damn fine in that black button down shirt, the sleeves rolled mid-way, showing off his tanned forearm that trailed down to the hands and the fingers that had evoked many different responses from her only days before.

 _Fuck you, Darien._

Taking another gulp at her drink, she frowned when the ice tapped at her lip, signaling that she was empty. Not letting him get a word in, she quickly hopped off the chair and grabbed her drink, her eyes focused on the bar to get a refill. She would need a decent amount of booze tonight to make it through the evening with _him._

Just as the glass tapped the wooden top of the bar, Raye materialized in an instant by her side.

"So you're clearly in a bad mood," Raye bluntly stated to her as Serena waved to the bartender.

"No shit. Darien's a dick," Serena said in response. Raye sighed.

"I know you two don't get along, but can you please for tonight? Please? For me?" Serena looked to her friend annoyed, but her expression quickly dissolved when she noticed a rare pleading look on Raye's face. "I really don't want to mess this up," Raye added quietly.

Serena nodded. "Only for you," she amended. Raye smiled back.

"Thank you," Raye responded. "Our table's ready if you want to make our way over to the hostess." Serena nodded and hopped off the barstool. Perhaps a good meal could change her mood? She had been here once or twice, but only for happy hour. Crossing to the other side of the building, the four sat at a table that situated in tight confines. Already irritated, Serena was none too pleased that she was seated next to him and much too closely. However, as she looked over the tops of her menu, she couldn't help but watch his stormy blue eyes scan the menu in great focus. He glanced up at her, and she quickly dipped her head below the vinyl brim of the menu, actively scanning the menu in hopes of finding something that was appealing.

"Is this your favorite restaurant?" Serena heard Raye ask Chad. She continued to listen as she browsed through her choices.

"It's one of them. I know it's not too fancy, but I love the atmosphere. People watching is one of my favorite things to do," he added.

"I can see that," Raye alluded. "Psychology, sociology, they kind of go hand-in-hand, right?"

"Yup," Chad added. "Biggest difference between the two is that psychology is more individual study whereas sociology is more societal."

"I took both courses in college for my pre-requisites. I absolutely hated Psych 101. Sorry," Raye laughed, obviously flirting. Serena smiled before deciding to tune out the conversation, letting them have their moment.

Taking one last look, she nodded in approval as she finalized her choice: calamari and a cup of clam chowder.

"Mmmm, seafood here I come," Serena sighed as she placed her menu down.

"What are you getting?" Raye asked as she picked up her drink and took in a sip.

"Fried calamari and clam chowder," Serena responded.

"Nice," Raye added. "What about you, Darien?"

Serena focused her eyes on him, watching as he took one last look through the menu.

"No idea. Chad, what do you recommend?"

"Ummmm…." He responded, flipping through the menu. "For you?" he asked with uncertainty, flipping through the pages of items. Serena's eyebrows furrowed; snooty Darien couldn't pick something from a less-than-five-star place?

"What's the matter, Darien, not enough items on the menu in languages you can't pronounce correctly?" Serena snapped, calling him out on his snobbery. She watched as his eyes narrowed.

"No," he responded frostily, "I was asking Chad's opinion."

"Uh huh," Serena said with an eye-roll, "must be tough to dine with us common folk who can't always afford to eat a ¥20,000 steak every night."

"Serena!" Raye exclaimed in horror, while Darien shot her a look that involuntarily sent goosebumps down her arms. He calmly placed his menu down, folded his hands, and focused his eyes on her.

"Clearly Serena is feeling a little green tonight," Darien stated coolly, effectively outing her misgivings at him. "Perhaps I should take my leave; or better yet, perhaps you should if you're just going to cause misery to everyone at this table due to your lack of maturity."

Serena scoffed. "I'm immature?! You just told everyone at this table that I'm freaking jealous! Me? Jealous! Hah! Of what?!"

"You know, some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." Darien said as he looked at her, then to the door, then back at her.

"Yeah, so maybe you should take a hike," Serena retorted. Darien opened his mouth in what was about to be a spontaneous outburst, then closed it, speaking in a cooler, deep tone.

"You are miserably gluttonous and a naïve, thick-headed reprobate," Darien insulted, to which Serena's jaw clamped in embarrassment and absolute fury.

"Yeah, well, you're so full of yourself you have delusions of adequacy!" Serena bit back. "You think using big words makes you sound intelligent? Please! You're arguing with me, in front of our friends, inside a sports bar!"

"You know what," Darien said as he placed his menu down. "I think I've had enough fun for tonight. Chad, Raye, I apologize for ruining your evening." Pulling out his wallet, he fingered out ¥20,000 and placed it on the table. "Please, try to have a better evening on me. Serena, I can only hope your Netflix stream reaches best quality, because clearly that's the only moderately successful relationship you will ever be in." With that, he stood up out of his chair and walked off; leaving Serena beat red with her mouth ajar, Chad with his head in his hands, and Raye looking away, trying her best not to either laugh or get angry.

After a few moments had passed, Serena looked to Raye. "I am so sorry. I'm going to leave, too. I hope you guys can salvage what we've effectively ruined," she said apologetically, truly feeling terrible for her actions. She stood up from her chair and walked away, but only made it to the doorway before she felt Raye grab her arm.

"You seriously couldn't let up, even for me?" Raye rightfully accused her. "You knew how important this evening was to me, and you blew it. Darien was right, you were being completely immature."

"Raye, I'm sor—"

"Save it. Just get the hell out of here." Serena stood numbly as she watched Raye turn around without a second glance, walk back over to the table, and sit back down next to Chad. Their evening would be awkward the rest of the evening, all because she couldn't keep her mouth shut. She let out a deep sigh before turning around to walk out of the building.

Their words stung in truth. While she relished in pushing buttons and boundaries, she definitely was in the wrong. With Raye. With Darien. She leaned against the brick exterior of the restaurant, people filing in and out of the crowded establishment, and found herself wishing that she could go back in time and fix it.

Obviously Raye wanted nothing to do with her at the moment, and who could blame her? But, maybe she could fix things with Darien?

Pulling out her phone, she dialed Darien's number, letting out a large sigh when he sent it right to voicemail. She redialed, hoping he would get the hint she wanted to apologize, but he, yet again, sent her to voicemail. Groaning, she could only imagine what his new opinion of her was. It made her stomach churn in horror.

 _What if he… doesn't… want anything to do with me anymore?_

Her mind whispered her fears, and she felt her mouth run dry. When she saw him walk in, rather than be excited to see him and try to make whatever they were doing more of a normal relationship, she let her mind get the best of her. Replaying the events in her mind, she recalled how he smiled when he saw her, how he whispered in her ear, and how he pointed out the coincidence of it all for being there. She should have put more trust in him.

After all, he wasn't _him._

Not everyone would be like _him._

Looking at her phone one last time, she pressed his name on her call log, sending up prayers that he would answer. Much to her surprise, and her pleasure, he did.

"What?" he curtly answered, which she flinched at the well-deserved anger.

"I'm sorry," she immediately said, her voice cracking with emotion. "I am so, so sorry for acting like that in there." She was greeted with silence, ebbing her to continue. "I had no right to accost you like that, or embarrass you like that. I should have found the circumstances a coincidence rather than assume you were just there to find another woman to sleep with. I'm sorry."

A few more moments of silence passed. "Darien?"

He let out a sigh over the phone. "Fine. Apology accepted. Is that all?"

She felt her heart ache at the cool dismissal. "No, that's all."

"Goodbye, Serena."

She pulled her phone away from her ear, seeing the call log back on her phone. He clearly wanted nothing further to do with her.

She had effectively driven him away.

* * *

 _Eek! Has Serena really driven him away? Who is Serena's 'him'? Is their 'relationship' unsalvageable? ... No, but that's become it's a SXD story XD_

 _Stay tuned! I plan to have my next installment out to you guys before Thanksgiving!_

 _Stay warm, dry, and go Bills! (I'm an annoying football fan, sorry. Hahahahaha)_


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey guyyyys. I'm really sorry about the lag in getting this chapter out. Between illnesses and more illnesses, my life has been ridiculously hectic over the last two weeks._

 _I think I'm pushing the 'T' rating in this chapter... but, I did my best to not let it get to rated M. So, disclaimer: not some raunch, but there's definitely something happening in here. So, yay!_

 _Thank you again for your reviews. I love hearing from all of you!_

 _Love,_

 _MU_

* * *

 _Serena,_

 _I'm not sure if this email works, or if I'm blocked, but I wanted to at least attempt to contact you in some fashion. If you actually do still use this email and you are seeing this message, then fate must be on my side._

 _How have you been? I can't believe it's been 5 years si-_

*delete*

Serena rolled her eyes to the faux content she just read, letting the digital age go ahead and relocate it from her inbox to her trash bin. Part of her missed the days of print, where ripping up said letter and then physically throwing it in the trash and lighting it on fire was more cathartic, but all the same, she didn't need to see it again. For security purposes, she permanently deleted all items in her trash bin, assuring she would never, ever read whatever declaration he was spewing to her now.

That girl who would fall for those lousy love letters was long gone.

Clicking out of her email, she opened Facebook up to quickly distract her. It had worked effectively; the first post on her newsfeed was of Raye. More specifically, a selfie of her and Chad at a concert. She smiled at the notion, knowing Raye hardly ever posted anything on Facebook, so to see this meant that Chad was starting to become special. On another note though, it brought back the predicament of Raye still being upset with her, as well as her words of agreeance with Darien about her immaturity. She felt wounded; not only did her love life completely implode, but her friend was pissed at her. At first she was really upset, texting Raye constantly despite zero responses, but then she began to get mad. What friend lets their friend get a tongue-lashing like that without standing up for them? So for a few more days she was furious, mentally badmouthing Raye as a bad friend and only looking out for herself. Once her anger moved on, the next step was for her to lick her wounds and try to mend the situation. Only thing is, she was too nervous now to try. She hardly ever got into a fight with her friends

At least, not anymore.

Funny how it all circles back to him.

Shaking her head, she refused to let him creep into her mind further. Slamming the laptop shut, she stuffed it into her bag, gobbled the last of her crumb cake up, and stood up from the steel chair in great haste. She wasn't going to sit back and be timid, she was going to fix this. Breezing out of bakery, she made her way into the busy streets, northbound towards Raye's flat. It was a 15-minute walk, but with the sun on her arms and an extra gust in her strides, it hardly felt like any time. Opening the glass door, she marched up the three flights of stairs and to Raye's door, but her hand fell short when it came to knock.

What if she was mad at just showing up?

What if she turned her away?

She swallowed timidly, but proceeded to rasp on the wooden panel.

The door opened, Raye and Serena facing one another for the first time since that night out. Raye's expression quickly softened, opening the door wider for Serena to come in. Relieved, Serena entered, kicking off her shoes before following Raye to her kitchen island, who appeared to be previously reading the paper with a cup of coffee. Taking the stool adjacent, Serena plopped her bag on top of the counter with a large thud.

"Thank you for not closing the door in my face," Serena said kindly, to which Raye laughed, clearly signaling the truce had officially begun. Serena smiled as Raye picked up her mug.

"So, you guys went to a concert last night?"

Raye took in a lengthy sip before answering. "Yup. He surprised me with tickets to see ONE OK ROCK. I couldn't believe it, I've been dying to see them for years," she said dreamily into the steam of her mug. "It was such a good concert, I'm still reeling from it."

"I can't believe you got to see Taka before I did!" Serena whimpered. "What I would let that man do to me."

"He was in fine form last night, let me tell you," Raye followed.

"I'm so jealous," Serena sighed enviously. "That's amazing he took you. How sweet of him!"

"It really was," Raye agreed as she cupped her mug, smiling into the glass. "It's only been a week and it just feels so, so amazing."

"Raye, that's wonderful!" Serena replied happily.

"Yeah, but, I don't know. I feel bad feeling happy, you know?" Raye said a little sadly, tugging at Serena's heartstrings.

"Raye, you know he wants you happy," Serena said softly.

"I know. But, what if my love fades for him, Serena? What if I fall for Chad and then Wren's memory is just on the backburner? I can't do that to him," Raye suddenly panicked. Serena slipped off of her stool and immediately embraced Raye, watching the cool, tough façade fade away into a lover still in mourning.

"Raye," she began softly, "your love for Wren will never, ever disappear, do you hear me? If anything, his love will continue to mean more to you, even if you find love somewhere else." She could feel Raye holding back the tears, doing her best to be strong. "He will never leave you."

And with that, the dam broke, and Raye wept into her best friend's arms, all the fears and heartache dampen her friend's shoulder. Serena held her tightly, rubbing her back as she let her friend cry out her struggles. They remained that way for a few moments, Raye not letting herself completely break down for longer than she deemed appropriate. Pulling away, she dabbed at her eyes, taking a quick sniffle.

"Thanks, Serena, I needed that," she said sincerely.

"I'm here for you anytime Raye," Serena responded, their fight officially and completely concluded.

"So," Raye started, looking to change the subject, "what's new with you?"

"I got an email today from _him_ ," she replied, knowing that Raye would know exactly who she was talking about with the utter distain dripping from her voice. "Like he seriously thinks I would answer him."

"Jesus. What's it been, two, three years since he last tried to contact you?" Raye asked as she straightened up, clearly interested.

"Two I think, maybe three? Not sure why on Earth he keeps bothering me," Serena said with annoyance. "He made his bed."

"Who is he on to now I wonder?" Raye said, reaching for her phone.

"Who knows," Serena said. "It's like anytime he decides he's bored he tries coming back to me. You're a father. Have some responsibility."

"Says here he's in a relationship with some girl who looks like she's on… _something._ " Raye glanced up at Serena from her screen.

"Nut uh, I'm not even looking. He's blocked for a reason, so I'm not even tempted."

"I don't even see pictures of his kid. Some proud Dad he must be."

"Seriously? Nothing? What the hell is wrong with him? God, I'm so glad it wasn't me."

"I wonder what his custody arrangement is," Raye pondered.

"It wouldn't surprise me if he's not even in his kid's life. I mean, she was the side-chick," Serena said with unreserved distain.

"Well, Dia-"

"Do not speak that name!"

"—nd was never that bright."

"No shit. I have no clue what I ever saw in him."

"You were 18," Raye reasoned.

"He was a douchebag."

"You were 18," she said again, as if it explained everything away.

"And I wasted 3 years on a narcissistic, arrogant, chauvinistic pig who decided that getting high and sleeping with other women for the last year of our relationship was more important. Ugh. Raye, stop firing me up about him."

Raye threw up her hands in defense. "Hey, he emailed you, not me." A few moments of silence passed between the girls before Raye suddenly had an 'ah-ha' type of look come across her face.

"That's it!"

"What?" Serena asked, eyebrow raised.

"That's why you're such a hothead around Darien, isn't it? He's that arrogant, egotistical kind of personality, just wrapped in different tones and a way hotter body."

"What?!" Serena shrieked, surprised by the sudden conversation switch to Darien and the sense in Raye's correlation.

"Serena, I've known you forever. You may have a temper, but I've hardly ever seen it get the best of you. The only time you've ever been publicly furious has been with, you know, and with Darien."

Serena pursed her lips, finding logic in Raye's point. The moment Darien dismissed her, it lit a fire deep within her that caused her to act out immaturely with name calling. Other people have rejected, dismissed, and closed doors, but she had reacted professionally each time. But when Darien did it, the words rolled off her tongue as if she was introducing herself. Despite the revelation, Serena knew that wasn't the reason for the misdirected words of anger she was shooting off like gunfire.

"Raye, I gotta fess up," Serena began. Raye smiled coyly.

"You guys were hookin' up, weren't you?"

"Shit, you could tell?" Serena asked, eyes wide.

"It was painfully obvious the way he was looking at you. He confirmed it when he called you jealous, and you solidified it the moment you denied it. Please, Serena, I know your voice when you've got the hots for someone. And damn, you two can really exchange some gorgeous, downright mean insults. It was pretty impressive."

"Yeah, he clearly wants nothing to do with me anymore," Serena sighed, running her fingers through her bangs. "I definitely blew that chance."

Raye shrugged. "Maybe he's not right for you. Like I said earlier, he is kind of similar to Di—"

"NAME!" Serena shrilled.

Raye shook her head. "Come on, let's go get some real coffee, and by real coffee, I mean those damn mocha Frappuccino's I am absolutely addicted to."

"Coffee? Don't have to tell me twice!" Serena said with a hop off the barstool, extremely glad for the change in scenery and conversation.

"Maybe Chad can hook me up with one of his friends," Serena said while grabbing her bags. "Like that guy who was originally supposed to come."

Raye laughed. "I'll see what I can do."

Serena smiled, but it didn't reach her soul.

They say time heals all wounds, but it does not completely fade the scars.

#

Serena stood in front of the mahogany door, staring at the elegantly scripted numerical "561" that was just above the small peephole. In her hands she clutched a 10 by 13 envelope, containing her heart and soul that she believed described his investment articulately. It had been at least fifteen minutes, but the nerves rattling in her arms refused her muscles to move more than an inch. She had come close once, but she heard a shuffle of feet behind the door, and she scurried off to the side, out of the peephole's view.

 _Get a grip, girl, and knock on the fucking door already!_

Serena let out such a controlled breath – one Lita would be beyond pleased by – before finally making a fist. Mechanically, she slowly lifted her arm up and rasped against the luxurious door, taking in yet another slow, deep breath as she waited for a response. The shuffle of footsteps was present once more, much shorter in distance than she imagined. The door opened, presenting the tall, exotic man she had become quite acquainted with, looking at her with a hard, unreadable expression. Swallowing, she reached her arms out to him.

"As promised," she said softly, the manila envelope invading the distance between them. He looked at the envelope, then back at her again, before taking it from her. She watched as his long, tantalizing fingers reached into the unsealed envelope, pulling out the freshly printed copy of inTokyo. Never had she been so nervous to watch someone's expression when they looked at the cover before, but she found herself holding her breath as he studied it, his brilliantly deep eyes scanning the printed photograph. Mina had done an exceptional job, a candid shot of brother and sister standing over the lovely risotto, emphasized in color by the art department whilst brother and sister remained in grayscale. Amy's eyes were downcast, a loving and accomplish look on her face as she wiped down the edge of the plate, while Darien was animated, as if he was in deep discussion of the features of the dish. In a beautiful chalkboard calligraphy, "Breaking Down Barriers" was emphasized, along with the subtitle "Indulge in the divinity of superb quality dishes that Tokyo's newest restaurant has to offer."

Much to Serena's surprise, Darien continued to stand in the doorway. He flipped through the pages, landing in the centerfold where the review was printed. On the left boasted a close up of the risotto, the grains of Arborio and the bold, rich colors of the truffle standing out, making even the dusted parmesan shine on its own.

 _Minato, Tokyo – Have you ever found yourself wanting to dine in the presence of Tokyo tower illuminating in the background? Or the desire to eat a meal so rich in flavor, so honest in its ingredients, that you thought you would melt after your took the first bite?_

 _That, dear readers, is exactly what Zwei Towers has to offer._

 _Located on the 20_ _th_ _floor of the Miwa Complex, Zwei Towers offers patrons a unique experience that most up-and-coming restaurants seem to lack: quality food in an upscale setting. Metallic décor stands out against various hues of black, which if you have never witnessed before, I highly recommend, because co-owners Darien Shields and Ami Mizuno Shields (cover, top-left) have managed to find every single shade of noir known to the artist's palette._

Darien looked up. "I thought you hated 'trendy and overdone,'" he flatly stated.

She shrugged. "Just because it's not my preference does not mean I cannot appreciate it."

 _The food at Zwei Towers is exquisite. Meals start with a variety of sliced breads, ranging from a hearty rye bread to crisp, in-house made parmesan crackers, which offer a nice touch for those who wish to stray away from dense, filling breads._

 _The lemon-artichoke soup was as simple as it was outstanding. The presence of freshly chopped artichoke hearts, garlic, and seasonings stand out within the smooth, pureed soup. The addition of hand-squeezed lemon juice and half-and-half enhance the decadent flavors, delivering a creamy soup rich in flavor without a single artificial ingredient._

 _Have you ever seen the word 'truffle' and think you are truly getting a real, shaved truffle in your dinner? Odds are you probably have not, because once you have tasted a dish that has true, shaved truffles in it; you will never be able to enjoy the faux again. A dish so rich and robust in flavor, it is worth every savory calorie. Roasted shiitake mushrooms are laced throughout the creamy grains of Arborio, which offer a robust flavor that pairs beautifully with a glass of white wine._

 _If dessert is your fancy, just wait until you check out the dessert selection, ranging from in-house made sorbet to decadent cakes and sweets that can make your toes curl. I enjoyed a scoop of the mango sorbet, the tart and fresh flavors of the fruit melting on my tongue._

"Amy is one hell of a cook," Darien said quietly, yet proudly, as he continued to read her words.

She watched as he skimmed further, reading the paragraphs about their bar area, the presentation, the building and the service in silence. His eyes shifted back up to her, then back down to the page, and it appear he re-read her closing comments.

 _It is said that the selection and service can make or break a restaurant, but in my years of writing and reviewing, I have found that it is the demeanor and quality of the establishments that encourage your returned patronage are the ones that continue to succeed. Zwei Towers offers that very distinction amongst restaurants in the surrounding area. Looking past the drinks, the food, and the service-staff, the very establishment offers something that you cannot find in the Minato district: a welcoming and inviting environment to all parties. While a dress code is enforced, the prices of the meals are a respectable amount that both families and business folk can mutually agree are reasonably set. On the whole, this restaurant offers everything and more to a patron looking for a quality meal in a trendy, upscale environment without the fears of overpaying. I give this restaurant five stars and my highest regard._

Darien closed the magazine and placed it back into the envelope, the unreadable expression still on his face. "It's a well-written article. Thank you," Darien said transactionally, no trace of emotion behind his voice. Serena shuffled her foot, hoping that maybe there would have been something more.

She continued to stand there, and as he continued to neutrally watch her, she felt her heart pounding.

Maybe, just maybe, she could apologize again and all would be okay.

Maybe, she wouldn't lose him.

"I'm really sorry again, Darien, for what I said to you last week," Serena apologized again. "Sometimes when I find myself getting too close to people, I have a bad habit of pushing them away. My mouth really gets the best of me sometimes. I know I ruined whatever chance we had with my overreaction, but I wanted to at least put it out there one more time how bad I feel."

Darien crossed his arms and proceeded to look at her, but she had to tear away her eyes from his; they were truly hypnotic. The admittance not only of pushing people away, but that she was finding herself getting too close to him, was a hard thing for herself to admit out loud. But, man, was it true. Usually her relationships lasted two or three weeks, where physical intimacy peaked but emotional barriers never cracked. For the first time in five years, she found herself wanting that connection.

It terrified her. It was evident in his silence that she had lost the first person that made her feel since _him_.

"Thank you for answering your door. I wanted to make good upon my promise to you. Thank you for your time, Darien. I won't bother you any longer." She turned to leave, making her decent down the lavish hallway to the elevator, when she heard the door click shut. Her heart squeezed in agony; literally and figuratively, the door shut on their time together. Standing in front of the metal panel, she slowly pressed the down button for the elevator, her head handing in sadness. She could feel the sting of tears at her eyelids, but she quickly squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to let any tears fall. Her motto, her mantra, _never let a man get you down_ , had always worked before when she repeated it furiously.

So why wasn't it now?

The door sprung open, the small, lonely space beckoning her to come in. With a heavy heart, she stepped into the elevator, her eyes downcast, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

The doors began to close, the sleek metal sheets about to clasp as one, when a hand thrust its way in, springing the doors back open with a startle. Much to her surprise, there he was, and within an instant, those long fingers she had been watching turn the pages thrusted their way into her hair as he bent down to kiss her, a kiss so intense, so passionate, so hungry, she joyfully reciprocated. Stretching her toes out as far as she could, she wrapped her arms around his shoulder, running her own fingers greedily through the hair on the back of his head as they explored each other's mouths. Using his leg, he assisted in hoisting her up onto the back railing before invading the space between her legs, to which she responded by wrapping the one around him, pulling him in even closer. He moaned in reply, and she squeezed tighter, a hunger and a passion building intensely inside of her.

A subtle ding startled the two of them, followed by an overdramatic _ah-hem._ They looked at each other before shifting their focus to the opened doorway, a hue of reds quickly creeping on their faces.

"For God's sake, kids, why did you bother leaving your place if all you're gonna do is make out in the elevator? No one needs to see that!" an elderly woman scolded them, her narrowed eyes filled with judgment. Serena slightly cowered, pursing her lips in an attempt to hold back laughter, while Darien turned beat red. The woman stepped on to the elevator, shaking her head in disgust, and it was at that moment Serena realized they had descended 30 floors.

A few stops later and a handful more riders, the elevator made its way to the main lobby. As the elevator emptied, Serena began to walk out, only to have Darien pull her back into his arms.

"Come back upstairs with me," he whispered into her ear before nibbling at her ear lobe.

She moaned in response, the door closing once again, only this time they pressed the button to send them back up to the floor.

As the elevator shot up the building, Darien continued his assault on her ear and neck, much to Serena's pleasure as she tiled it back further. A combination between the speed of the elevator and the skills of his lips, her body was tingling all over. Each touch emitted an overpowering response from her, a desire so intense she thought she'd keel over if he didn't stop.

Nor did she want him to.

When the door sprung open, it was she who practically pulled him out of the elevator. It was she who clasped onto his hand firmly as they made their way over to his door, and it was she who practically knocked him over onto the waiting couch in his apartment, climbing on top of him, attacking his mouth with her own in hunger.

He responded most desirably, grasping her body with his expert touch, causing her to moan into him as his fingers trailed in the most sensitive of areas. When he began to unzip the back of her dress, she leaned her shoulders back to allow the fabric to tumble around her.

Just a few minutes ago, she was so sure she was going to lose him, never see him again.

Yet, here she was, in the cradle of his arms, her clothes barely hanging on, planting kisses on his neck as he walked in great strides to the room down the adjacent hallway, with one thing on both of their minds.

#

The sun had set when she stirred, her nude form beneath the silk sheets sore from the intensity of their previous activities. She stretched her limbs out generously before swinging her legs around the bed, sitting at the edge of the bed with her hand still clinging on to the sheet.

What they had just done together was completely mind-blowing. Nothing had ever compared in any past relationship. The way he looked at her, the ways he moved around her, inside of her… she shivered in delight at the recall.

She looked back over to him, the sheet resting against his delicious hips, his well-carved chest muscles illuminating in the moonlight. Her eyes greedily roamed his body, taking in and mentally photographing every inch of him: his inky, silky jet black hair, his firm jawline, his slim, yet inviting lips, his broad shoulders. Her eyes traveled south, down to the curly patch of hair below his navel that led to her most recently acquainted appendage, which she had to admit was currently her favorite. Basking in a girlish smile, she started to stand up, only to feel an arm grab her and pull her back down. She tumbled back into the pillow, now facing an awaken Darien, who from the look on his face, had been watching her give him a thorough eye-fucking.

"See something you like?" he asked huskily. She took in a deep breath, as if his words were an aromatic, before running her fingertips down his chest.

"Oh yes," she responded, her fingers daringly sliding further and further down his body until they reached the hem of the silk sheet. "And unfortunately, something else I've really come to like, is currently out of my view," she slyly added before she pulled she sheets away.

Darien groaned in response, and Serena slithered up next to him, more than eager for a repeat of earlier that evening. Rolling over and grasping her, he claimed her lips once more, both of them losing themselves in each other again.

As the evening turned into night, both bodies spent from their repeated actions, sleep began to claim her. Serena was briefly, and only for a fleeting moment, aware of Darien pulling her body into his grasp. Yet, sleep claimed her just as she heard him start to whisper:

 _"_ _Don't—"_

* * *

 _Not really a cliffhanger... but, don't what?_

 _Until next time!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Well, folks, it's happened. Those damn creative juices are officially spilling over. Two chapters in one week? Huzzah!_

 _You guys leave some amazing feedback. I really appreciate it. If not for you guys, I wouldn't be here so enthused about continuing writing. I sincerely mean that. Thank you from the bottom of my heart._

 _Now how about some fluff, shall we?_

 _Enjoy!_

 _MU_

* * *

A brief startle of surprise woke Darien up out of his slumber once he stretched his arm out; the right side of the bed was currently vacant. He opened his eyes to confirm that she was indeed gone, and the sight undeniably confirmed it. He frowned; she had left already?

Rolling on to his back, he used the heels of his palm to lift himself into a sitting position against the headboard.

Why should he _care_ that she left?

Contractual and consensual. The words kept repeating in his mind, but for whatever reason, it wasn't resolving the disappointment he was oddly feeling. Disappointment, he lamented, was something he never faced. He _always_ was in control.

What the hell was going on?

One moment he was intent on closing the door on her, but that apology was one that kicked him in the stomach. It was one that was all too familiar, one that he had bellowed out in years past to his college girlfriend.

She had told him that she loved him. And he had felt the same way, too, except that he didn't respond. Rather, he pushed her away, fearing that love would get in the way of studying to be the best. His goal, his ambition was to get into the tough world of contract negotiations. The thought of something else replacing that drive shut him down, and instead of being compassionate or understanding, he let his mouth get away from him. He delivered words more hurtful than he ever could have imagined, and the look on her face was enough to drive him away from relationships ever again.

So when Serena made that affirmation, it stirred that feeling up again from days past about wanting to find that compatible partner. When she began to walk away, no fighting or spewing declaration of giving her another shot, he could not help but see his 22-year-old self again. Only for him, she had slammed the door in his face.

Serena had looked so defeated, and when he saw her at the elevator, he knew she was sincere in her words. It was evident, too, that she was struggling with the same thing he was: those damn feelings.

He was extremely glad he went after her. The pent up release of being away from her spell was evident in the fact that he couldn't keep his hands off of her. She was bold, forward, and confident. The way she looked in his bed as she quivered underneath him was so god damn arousing he nearly lost himself in her immediately.

Truthfully, he had hoped to enjoy that site again this morning.

Falling asleep holding her against him felt uncomfortably natural. He wasn't usually one for, um, _cuddling_ , but feeling her creamy skin against his, he could certainly get used to it.

But more frustratingly, what on earth was he saying as he fell asleep? He knew he was completely spent after round two, but he could have sworn he gurgled out some nonsense.

 _Great, I don't even remember what I was trying to say._

A sudden clang of an item against his glass coffee table disrupted his thoughts, resulting in an immediate smile.

 _Ah, so she hasn't left._

Reaching for a pair of gym shorts, he quickly slipped them over his nude form before reaching for his reading glasses, a habit that while not necessary, he found made his mornings much easier when glancing over the paper or his work first thing in the morning. Making his way out of the room and into his living space, he found himself briefly immobilized, the blood rushing from his body straight down to the only limb that was fully covered.

She was sitting at his coffee table, wearing the shirt he had worn the day before, buttoned only once – at the center – giving him the perfect opportunity to glare at her perfectly proportionate chest. Her hair fell around her shoulders in loose, finger-brushed waves, instantly reminding him of it sprawled on his pillows just hours before. But what really got him was the fact that she was staring at her laptop, so focused and in-thought, as she nibbled on her left thumb while her right hand worked the touchpad.

They lived in two completely separate worlds: she a free spirited journalist, he in economics, investments and contracts. But in seeing her work at her computer, reviewing and typing so intensely, maybe they weren't so different after all.

In an attempt to get the blood flowing again, he cleared his throat, startling her out of her trance. "Oh! Good morning!" she said cheerfully, closing the lid on her computer. "Don't worry, I'm not going to linger. I just needed to get this piece over to my editor before I completely forgot." She lifted herself up off of his couch and walked over to him, placing a kiss on his cheek.

He frowned. Not here to linger?

"I was going to try to make you coffee, but I have no idea how to work that thing in your kitchen. I have an old school ¥1000 coffee pot and brewer, so whatever thingy you have in the other room goes beyond my expertise," she laughed. "But anyway, I'll change and get out of here and leave you to your day."

He blinked a few times. "Do you want me to make you a cup of coffee?" he asked, still dumbfounded by her nonchalant approach about leaving.

"It's okay, I can get something on my way home," she resolved as she was about to walk into his room. Had it been any other woman, he would have let her. _Contractual. Consensual._ But his heart worked before his head, and he found himself grabbing her hand before she walked away, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop to think.

"You're leaving already?"

"I'm not one of those girls," she shrugged, as if she expected that to resolve the question. "You don't have to worry about me hanging around here."

"Oh, I'm not worried," he responded. He arched a finger into the exposed shirt, rounding his finger against the secured button and pulling her closer to him. "Let me take you out for brunch."

"Brunch?" she said with a hint of laughter. She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You want to take me to brunch? Aww, how hipster of you!"

He frowned at her teasing. "Brunch was around long before hipsters were."

"You're so cute!" she exclaimed, running her warm finger against his jaw.

"I don't think I've ever been called cute for wanting to feed someone. Besides, Sunday brunch is perfect. You get two meals for the price of one. On a fiscal standpoint, it's well worth the visit."

"Hmm, but, it's only 7:30, and brunch isn't really a thing until later in the morning," she said coyly. He smiled in return.

"Oh, I am well aware of that, Ms. Thompson," he responded before undoing the button of his shirt. Her eyes darted from his to the now unbuttoned shirt, but quickly snapped back to his with a lopsided smile. With a roll of her shoulders, the shirt slipped down her arms, the fabric descending lower and lower down her illuminating, peach-kissed arms.

God, if only he were a painter.

"You know," she said in a voice that made him want to groan, "those glasses seriously make you look so god damn sexy."

He scooped her up immediately, quickly spun on his heel, and reentered his bedroom, intent on spending the next few hours leading to that brunch in _very_ good company.

#

It was his usual table at Roux, an earthy French kitchen that he often times dined at for lunch. French cuisine was his favorite; it offered a finesse that Japanese cuisine cannot rival. His mouth watered as he looked at his menu, already set on _Moules Marinières_ as his meal. He looked across the table, the blonde seductress looking over the menu with her eyebrows snapped together.

"Need advice?" he inquired.

"Desperately," she replied. "I don't know much about French food, let alone how to read it."

"The _Croque Madame_ is outstanding here if you like ham, gruyere, and béchamel," Darien suggested. "Or a _Salade Nicoise_. That includes tuna, potato, boiled egg, olive and fennel."

"Hmmmm," Serena said through pursed lips. The corners of his lips twitched; she seemed unimpressed.

"What about a cheese plate?"

"Where on earth do you see that?"

"L'Assiette de Fromages,"he smiled. "Fromage means cheese."

"Ah," she said. "What are you having?"

"Mussels," he replied. Her lips curled into a judgmental frown.

"For breakfast?"

"It's truly a delicacy. They make a cream sauce that is simply divine."

"Ehhh," she hesitated. "What's the one with the ham? It's like a sandwich?"

"Yes, but you use a fork and a knife," he answered.

"But, it's a sandwich."

"Yes, but French etiquette calls for utensils."

"But-"

"It's a sandwich, yes, but it has an over-easy egg and béchamel sauce on it, which can get quite messy I'm sure. Hence, the need for silverware. Plus, it's an open-faced sandwich, so…" he reasoned, slightly caught off-guard. For such a food expert, how did she not know much about French food?

"Okay, I'll try it," she said as she placed the bound menu down in front of them. "I bet I look really foolish right now," she added.

"What do you mean?"

"The foodie in Tokyo doesn't know French cuisine," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Most reviews come from me going to local restaurants that have some sort of specialty in Japanese cuisine, since our magazine is primarily a tourist magazine."

 _Makes sense._ "You don't look foolish."

"I appreciate the lie," Serena replied with a smile. "So, do we drink mimosas or what with this?"

"If you wish to," he replied. "Although, I'd highly recommend the _pamplemousse_ cocktail."

"What's the difference?"

"It's made with grapefruit and gin." She smiled in response.

"Okay, I'll try that, too." He smiled at her willingness.

The waitress came over and jotted down their orders, leaving them among the bustle of the patrons of the restaurant. It was in that lull, just as the drinks arrived, that he realized that they hadn't really small-talked before. Sure, they've bantered, they've commented on food or desserts or work, but they've never actually talked about themselves before.

Hell, when was the last time he talked about himself besides his credentials on his resume?

"So," he began awkwardly, "when did you figure out you wanted to be a food writer?" _Good question, Dare. Mental five!_

"In college," she replied immediately. "I started off with a blog and it took me to inTokyo."

"Where did you go to college? Around here, I presume?"

"Yup, right at U-Tokyo. I was originally liberal arts, but when I had my revelation of wanting to write about food, I switched to journalism."

"University of Tokyo is a great school," he commented. "I did my graduate work there."

"Really?" she inquired, interested by their common ground.

"In 2008," he commented. She laughed.

"I was still in high school," she added. "Senior year."

"So that makes you, what, 28?"

"27," she corrected. "And from what I've read about you, you're mid 30's, yes?"

He nodded in affirmation. _I didn't realize she was that young._ "34," he responded.

"Cradle robber," she said with a smile into her drink. He gave her a knowing smile.

"Am I?" he teased as he sipped at his French-pressed coffee.

She hummed into her drink, taking a lengthy sip of the recommended concoction.

"So, what _exactly_ do you do?" she eventually asked. "I've seen your name in the paper for all sorts of different things, but I haven't quite pinpointed your story."

"I work in investments," he responded, trying to figure out how to generalize his work. "I focus primarily on mergers and acquisitions."

"And that means?"

"Corporate transactions. Things like consolidations, acquiring new companies, purchases or transfers of assets."

"Sounds intense."

"It is, but I'm good at it."

"You're mighty cocky," she said with an eyebrow raise. He smiled again at her forwardness.

"Yes, but, I am making Partner this upcoming year-end, so, I think I've reserved the right to be," he said with confidence. _The youngest partner in firm history_ , he mentally added.

"So what does 'Partner' entail, then?" she inquired.

"Honestly? More delegating and reviewing, less writing my own paperwork."

"Do you travel a lot? I remember Ami mentioning that you've been to restaurants all over the world."

"I do," he answered. "Mainly Asia and Europe, but I've been to the States a few times, and Canada as well."

"How luxurious," she sighed.

"Truthfully, I hate it," he admitted. "Layovers, jet-lag, hotels… it gets old really quickly."

"Eh, to someone who's never left Japan, it sounds fascinating."

"You've never left the country?" Darien asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

"Nope. I've been to Hiroshima, but that's the furthest I've been away."

Their conversation continued organically, and Darien was quite surprised to find himself smiling and laughing more than he thought he would have. He told her about different cities he had been to that he found the most enjoyable, she told him about her bucket list (apparently, traveling to Seoul was number one on her list because of her love of Korean dramas), and even when their food came, the conversation did not fade out. The look on her face when she tasted the _croque_ was satisfying, and he even encouraged her to try his dish, something he never did.

After a brief argument over who would pay for brunch, he settled the bill with a generous tip and led her out of the restaurant. As they walked down the sidewalk and back to his apartment, he couldn't help but watch her. She was the complete opposite of him in every fashion, and yet she added something to his life that he never experienced before. From her golden hair to her floral dress, everything about her poured color into his life.

The revelation was brewing, but it wasn't until she looked back at him and smiled. Such a simple gesture, really, but it knocked him over like a freight train. The way the sun fell on her features, her cheeks illuminating a rosy tint, her lips soft and inviting, and her eyes, so soft, so blue; it captivated him.

The walls of self-preservation started to crumble, leaving breadcrumbs behind him as she reached for his hand. He found himself accepting it, strolling down the sidewalk as lovers so often do, and truly taking interest as she pointed the smallest things out, from the white flowers blooming in the trees to a grocery that sold her favorite chocolate candies.

She was intoxicating, a forbidden fruit he had thoroughly sampled and had fallen addicted to.

And it terrified him.

#

It had been a few hours since she had left, but Darien continued to stare at the page of his document, unable to get her out of his mind.

He had a flight to catch to Brussels at 6am and the documents needed to have his final review of them before he arrived, but he couldn't seem to make it past page 6 of the 15 page document. He looked over at his clock on the wall, it reminding him that if he went to bed now, he could maybe get 4 hours of sleep.

 _Shit._

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he closed his portfolio, resolving the idea to finish his paperwork on the flight. After all, Japan to Brussels was a lengthy air travel, so he could easily work on it then. Shifting over to his desktop, he opened up his internet browser and checked into his flight, but not before upgrading his seats from Business Class to First.

 _The extra solidarity will do me wonders_ , he lamented as he accepted the upcharge, not even blinking an eye to the cost. Much to his surprise, his assistant had managed to find him a nonstop flight as well, which reaffirmed the idea to finish his work on the flight.

Only problem was, he wasn't tired. At least, not mentally. His body was physically exhausted, but his mind couldn't stop thinking about her.

They had separated in the early afternoon, as she had to go for a review that evening and needed to change first. It was a strange feeling, not wanting her to leave, but he knew she needed to. He had told her about his upcoming business trip and they had made plans to connect on Friday evening, but he found himself wishing now that he wasn't going away for the next few days.

 _It's like I have a ridiculous schoolboy crush_ , he mentally chastised himself.

Turning off the desk lamp, he grabbed his phone and made his way to his room, laying down on the large, vacant mattress. He rolled his face into his pillow, suddenly picking up a fragrance that was recently recognizable. He smiled; apparently, her scent had lingered a little while longer.

Grabbing his phone, he decided to hop on to his Facebook application. He hardly went on social media, but he was curious about this fascinating creature he was currently smitten with. He found himself wanting to know more about her, what she liked, didn't like, her friends and family. And the source of all that information was Facebook.

Ah, what a time to be alive and in the dating game.

After a quick search, her page filled his screen, her profile picture completely accurate in depicting her, yet somehow arousing as well. Her hair up in pigtails, winking at the camera, licking an ice cream cone. He groaned; if he looked at that photo any longer, he'd have to take care of some _other_ business.

Clicking on the information tab, he checked out the details she had to offer: fan of rock and pop music, loves cats, enjoys sappy, romantic movies as well as crime dramas, and that she has a younger brother. He scrolled briefly through her pictures, many of them involving her at local clubs with her friends, out and about the streets of Tokyo, or close-ups of different meals.

He smiled as he backed out of the app. Nothing surprising he learned, but nonetheless, he still gained some more knowledge about her.

Suddenly, his phone dinged, a text message popping up on the main screen.

 _You going through my Facebook photos there, boy?_

Darien snapped his brows together. How did she know?

 _You liked a photo of me from 2012! LOL!_

He could feel the color drain from his face.

 **Sorry about that.**

 _No worries :D There shouldn't be anything incriminating on there. If there is, please lemmie know, though. Got an image to uphold, after all!_

 **Well, now that you mention it, the one of you in the club with those shorts is way too provocative**

 _Which one ;)_

 _We both know that you're sitting there wishing I was there wearing them._

Oh, how true that was.

 **And if I said I was?**

 _I'd say it's too bad you have a 6am flight, because I could dig them up and come on by._

Shit. That did sound nice.

 **Damn it.**

 _Sorry not sorry!_

 _Go to sleep._

 **I would if I could.**

 _Get off your phone and close your eyes. That's how I do it. :P_

 **Har har**

 _If I give you permission to have an erotic dream about me, would that help your case?_

 **zZzZzZz**

 _Hehe, you're too cute. Have a safe flight :-*_

Rolling over, he slipped his phone into the charger, and turned off the lights.

Hell if he wouldn't take her up on that offer for some erotic dreams tonight.

* * *

 _Ahh, fluffiness! It wouldn't be a romance without some fluff, amirite? Haha._

 _Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts!_

 _And as always, go (Buffalo) Bills! (biiig weekend ahead here. Sorry, had to do it. Need the good juju)._


	10. Chapter 10

_Hi guys! Happy almost-Christmas to you all (and for those of you who are celebrating Chanukah, happy 8th day! And to those celebrating other holidays, warmest wishes to you!) Sorry for the two week hiatus of getting this chapter to you.. I wanted to try and give you a chapter of character, friendship, and relationship development to give them some more depth. And with that, I hope that I didn't write a chapter that's boring. I fear it might be :( But alas, sometimes you need a bridge chapter to help bring you to the next scene... which I've already begun setting up. Mwahahaha._

 _I hope you don't find this chapter too terrible._

 _Love,_

 _MU_

* * *

Taking a greedy sip into her iced tea, Serena closed her eyes in satisfaction; the sun on her shoulders, the burst of peach flavor, and the refreshing chill of the tea called for a delirious sigh. Chuckling could be heard, but she decided ignored it to savor a moment of summerlike bliss.

"Serena, it's a drink, not a dick," Lita, ever so bluntly, announced to the group. Laughter from the other two ladies followed whereas Serena let the straw fall from her lips.

"Har har," Serena replied with an eye roll. The chuckling subsided as the girls returned to their other discussion and reason for being here: Lita's wedding. Nate, Lita's long time boyfriend, finally popped the question, and of course, chaotic planning was about to ensue. Naturally, Serena, Raye and Mina were the three bridesmaids, meaning that the planning wasn't going to be just dramatic, but substantial. It was the same routine when Mina first got engaged: go to Pascarella's, order treats, and discuss the deets. The current discussion: dress shopping.

"Paolo's dresses are amazing, but really expensive," Mina said thoughtfully. "Bridal Belle is good in price, but don't expect a quick turnaround. Mine _still_ is not in."

Serena's eyebrow raised. "Your wedding is in four months!"

"No shit," Mina said worriedly. "I call on a weekly basis. They said it should only be two more weeks. Here's hoping."

The three girls, all bridesmaids in Mina's wedding as well, nodded in hope before resuming conversation. "Have you checked out Victoria's in the Hiiro district?" Raye asked. "One of my co-workers wouldn't stop bragging about that place when she got engaged. I guess it's pretty upscale."

"I'd be willing to check it out," Lita replied.

"When should we go?" Mina asked. Serena pulled out her planner from her bag before flipping open to the month of June. A goofy grin slithered on her face when she looked at tomorrow's date, noting that she would be going out with Darien that evening. He was due home late tonight from Brussels, but with the time change, she was more than understanding to let him get some sleep before spending some time together. Besides, she needed him rested. Four days of pent up energy? She was ready to attack.

"Yo, Meatball Head!" Raye shouted, interrupting Serena's thoughts. "Stop daydreaming and start focusing!"

"Okay, okay," Serena said as she pulled out her purple pen. "Lita, start with you. What's best for you?"

"Um… I can do any weeknight really, except Tuesdays. Saturdays are hard for me… I can do two Sunday's from now at any time."

"Oh, Sunday's are good for me," Mina chimed in.

"Same here," Raye added.

"I've got a review that night, but if we can get in there early enough, I should be good to go. I need to be at the Kawaii Maid Café by 4," Serena replied.

"A MAID café?! How adorable!" Mina sighed. "I want to come!"

"Sorry, Min, I've already got someone coming with me," Serena apologized. Mina pouted.

"Darien? Come on, I'd be much better company than Darien. I can appreciate the theme, and the costumes, and the unicorns, and the parfaits, and the –"

"How about I'll ask him to rescind his offer to join me and if he says yes, I'll bring you?" Serena suggested, not really minding. Mina was always fun to bring on tastings.

"Yay!" Mina cheered, thrusting her hand into the open sun. A brief look at her watch on her slim wrist startled her. "Oh, crap girls, it's 6:30. I have to go; Mally's meeting me at the florist at 7 to finalize our pieces."

"Make sure it has roses!"

"No, Camellias!"

"Roses!"

"Camellias!"

"GIRLS!" Raye chided. "Besides, they will be Casablanca's, right Mina?"

"Yeahhh okay bye ladies!" Mina said as she hustled away from the patio table, leaving the three girls to argue which flower was better for the better part of ten minutes. It wasn't until the waitress strolled by and asked them if they needed anything further did they finally cease fire.

"Can I get the grilled chicken salad to go?" Serena asked the server, who nodded and moved along.

Raye raised an eyebrow. "Salad?"

"Their house dressing is addictive. It's a mustard vinaigrette, made with vinegar—"

"Ok, ok, no need to Serena the dressing," Raye snickered at her. It was a running joke with her friends; to "Serena" the food item means overly describe it.

"Psh, your loss," Serena dismissed. The waitress soon returned, her salad in a Styrofoam takeout container. "Mmm, dinner."

"Alright ladies, I'll call and set up the appointment for two Sunday's from now. But I'll see you guys Monday, right?"

Raye and Serena groaned. "Must you ruin the evening with talk about fitness?"

Lita grinned. "Gotta keep you guys fit for your men!" Serena rolled her eyes whilst Raye began to flush. "See you then!"

"Yeah, yeah," Serena said as she packed up her bag. "Anything planned for tonight, Raye?"

"I have to go work on a case study. You?"

"Need to finish up my piece on the Hibachi restaurant in Juuban."

"Well, aren't we fun?" Raye chuckled.

"Nothing wrong with us kicking ass out in this world," Serena emphasized with a grunt as she slung her bags over her shoulders. "Alrighty, see you Monday, yes?"

"Yeah, I'll be there," Raye groaned as she followed Serena out of the café, briefcase in hand. The June evening was inviting, the warmth of the day still lingering into the evening.

"I think I'm going to walk home," Serena decided as Raye stuck her hand out in the air for a cab.

"Okay, be safe," Raye waved as the cab pulled up to the curb.

"See ya!" Serena shouted before spinning on her heel to make her descent down the road. Her apartment wasn't too far from the place, but it was a decent enough walk where it would take her about 15 minutes to get home. She didn't mind; if anything, it allowed her to further get excited about tomorrow's plans with Darien.

Would they stay in? Would they go out? She sighed in anticipation thinking about their time together. Truthfully, she'd much rather order in than go out, primarily because one thing was on her mind, and it did _not_ involve food.

Four long, beyond horny days of waiting for him to come home. Four days of craving his touch, his kiss. It was maddening! God, if she knew loathing someone would transform into lusting this badly, she would have reacted on it much sooner.

They had texted on occasion, but with the time change and their busy schedules, it didn't leave much room for true conversation. It bummed her out a bit, but she did give him the benefit that he did make an effort to talk to her on a daily basis. He could have easily blown her off.

With renewed vigor, she sped up her walk to her apartment. She needed to not be her own worst enemy and overthink it. Her mouth already got her in trouble once, she didn't need her mind stepping in as well. The walk was shorter than she had anticipated, and once she made her way up the stairwell to her apartment. Once she shuffled her bags and self through the doorway of her home, she dropped them unceremoniously by the doorway, but not before placing the delicate Styrofoam container on her kitchen countertop. Kicking off her flats, she stepped over the discarded bags and grabbed the maroon plate off of the drying rack. Opening the container, she dumped the salad on to the plate, heaps of romaine, chicken, slaw, and dressing tumbling graciously.

Serena licked her lips; it wasn't many times a salad brought her tastebuds to life, but this one was one that was especially addictive. Unable to resist making her way to the table first, she grabbed her clean chopsticks and grasped a generous balance in between the purple sticks. As the salad made its way to her mouth, she could smell the honey mustard invading her senses. _Yum!_

She chewed, and as she continued to masticate the leafy dish, a growing dissatisfaction appeared.

"What the hell?" Serena muttered to no one, "why is it so salty?"

Sighing in disappointment, she brought the plate over to her desk, giving the mouse a quick shake to wake up her machine. She placed the salad next to her, intent on eating at least _some_ of it, while she focused on her article. As she typed at the keys, she managed a few more bites of the dinner before grimacing. She shook her head; too much salt completely ruined that dish. Sighing once again, she removed the foul dish, dumping its remnants into the trash.

"Ugh, Luna, remind me to wait a couple of weeks before I get that again. What a waste!" Serena pouted. It was the first time Pascarella's ever let her down like that. Perhaps a new employee did the measurements wrong? She shrugged and reached for a package of Oreos instead, stuffing her face with the crème filled cookies while continuing to pout over her dinner.

A ding redirected her thoughts, and over on her computer screen she saw her iMessaging was activated. Taking the Oreo packaging with her, she sat in front of the computer and grinned.

 **Only 4 more hours until this misery of a travel day is over.**

 _I can't imagine. Sounds like it was a long day._

 **Built-in WiFi on planes is genius, let me tell you.**

 _Are you on one of those super cool double decker planes?_

 **No, a 777. But the first class seating on this plane is nice.**

 _Do you usually travel first class? Isn't it like, ridiculously expensive?_

 **It's worth it when you're traveling a 19 hour day with as many time zone changes as I've had. I've actually been able to get a lot of work done, actually.**

 _That's good!_

 **How about your day?**

 _Just trying to finish up some work. Had a crappy salad for dinner, which is bumming me out._

 _I am, however, really looking forward to seeing you tomorrow._

 **That's what I was just about to ask you … any requests for tomorrow evening?**

 _Surprise me ;)_

 **Surprise you? I think I can handle that. 7:00?**

 _Sounds great :)_

The two of them continued to chat until Darien had to get back to his work, to which Serena followed suit. When her stomach gurgled slightly, she frowned. _Too many Oreos_ , she quickly deemed, as she added the finishing touches on her first draft. Dragging and dropping the document into an open message box, she sent the article off to her editor, relieved to have another article crossed off of her to-do list. She stood up and turned off the light, the gurgling in her stomach still nagging at her.

"Ugh, need Tums," she grumbled as she shifted over to the bathroom. After locating the Tums, she pulled out four of the multi-flavored anti-acids and popped them in her mouth. Trusting in the power of the meds, she shuffled over to her bedroom and collapsed onto her bed, letting sleep succumb her thoughts.

It wasn't for long, however.

Her eyes snapped open an hour later, a cold sweat caking her body. Her stomach felt as if it were an ocean, waves of nausea ripping through her body. She took in a couple of deep breaths, but it was for naught.

 _Fuck._

She bolted into the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet as she emptied her stomach. Her body continued to heave, as if it was reaching from the bottom of her toes, as she emptied herself into the porcelain bowl. She gasped for breath as soon as the episode was over, but no sooner did it return, a wave stronger than the other that she cried out in pain, grasping onto the edge of the bowl in agony.

She didn't know how long it had lasted, it felt like at least hours, when she laid her head down on the cool bathroom floor, too terrified to move away. Her body was screaming in pain, her bangs damp from sweat, her stomach twisted in knots. Darkness soon consumed her once more, but if only for a brief moment in time.

#

Darien knocked on the door once more, a slight irritation brimming in him. He had been standing outside at least five minutes, which, for him, was much longer than he ever would have for someone else. Glancing at his watch once more, he saw it was now 7:10. She had no idea where they were even going, so why wouldn't she be here? He had even confirmed he would be by her place to get her around 7, so what gives?

He checked his phone again to make sure she didn't text him a reason or an excuse, but his home screen continued to show the generic wallpaper. Sighing, he decided to phone her rather than stand and knock once more, as it was beginning to become a moot point. He had text her to let her know he was on his way, but when she didn't respond, he didn't think much about it. But now, he wasn't sure if he was being ignored or dismissed.

The phone began to ring, and to his surprise, he could hear it clear as day on the other side of the door. A sudden pang of worry engulfed him. Sure, he hadn't heard from her all day, but he had been asleep for most of it. He knocked again at the door, banging his knuckles strongly against the whitewashed door. "Serena, are you in there?" he called through the door, now hoping she wasn't in there. "Is everything okay?" He redialed her phone, hoping maybe she was napping or something, but the phone continued to ring, the melody straining the air between them.

"Is everything okay?" Darien turned around to see an older woman, no taller than Serena, perched in between her doorway and the slightly ajar door.

"I'm a friend of Serena's," Darien quickly said, "and we were supposed to go out tonight. I can hear her phone on the other side of the door and I'm starting to grow concerned."

"Oh dear, that's not like her at all. So responsible, always having her phone," she said with worry as she closed her door. Within a moment she reemerged, shuffling in between Darien and the doorway holding on to a bronze key. She knocked. "Serena? It's Mrs. Kingsley, I'm just coming in to make sure you're okay, dear." She turned to Darien. "Let me check on her. I'll call for you if it's okay to come in."

Darien nodded, his hands starting to sweat with nerves. If she wasn't home, he'd have one hell of an ear to bend for putting him through this. He watched as the neighbor, Mrs. Kingsley, made her way into the dark apartment, leaving the door slightly ajar. He peeked in to see her purse on the countertop. _Okay, now I'm really getting concerned._

"Serena? Serena!" he heard the woman's voice cry. His eyes widened immediately, his body busting through the doorframe and making his way to the woman's voice in great stride. Mrs. Kingsley was down beside her in the bathroom, Serena's peach-kissed skin looking pale. He immediately summoned his phone and began to dial 911 as the neighbor reached for a glass on Serena's sink, filling it up with water as she woke Serena up. As he spoke to the dispatcher, he felt his body flood with relief as he watched her limbs move.

"She's awake," he said to the dispatcher, who indicated that an ambulance was enroute.

"Good. Keep her awake and her head level until we know exactly what happened to her. Paramedics should be there momentarily, Sir."

"They say to keep her awake, keep her talking," he relayed to Mrs. Kingsley, who was assisting Serena with drinking some water.

"What happened, dear," he overheard her ask once he disconnected with the emergency services.

"I think I have food poisoning," he heard Serena rapidly reply. He grimaced; he had food poisoning once when he was a kid, and his body ached for days. For her to be unconscious in the bathroom after food poisoning, he could only suspect one thing: severe dehydration. A knock at the door pleasantly startled him; the paramedics had arrived.

"The paramedics are here," Darien announced as he opened the door. Two men in navy uniforms entered the tiny doorframe, as well as a yellow stretcher and medical equipment. He led them to the bathroom, to which they promptly ushered the nurse out, and knelt down beside Serena.

As the paramedics checked over Serena, Mrs. Kingsley patted him on the arm. "Thank goodness you were so insistent on knocking on her door, young man. She needs fluids," the kind woman said thankfully.

"Of course. It's not like Serena to ignore people," Darien said matter-of-factly. Even in the short time they knew one another, one thing was certain: Serena was fiercely loyal, and would never abandon anyone. Even in the times of their arguing, or their spats, she had no problem confronting him. She wasn't one to hide or lurk in the shadows, and someone like that certainly wouldn't start suddenly avoiding him. He smiled at the small revelation, but soon refocused his thoughts as he watched Serena be gently lifted onto the stretcher.

"Darien?" He made his way next to her when she focused her eyes on him, sunken and red. He could see in her face that she was embarrassed, but he ignored it. "What are—"

"How are you feeling? Are you alright?" he immediately asked.

"Excuse me, Sir, we need you to move aside so we can wheel her out," the paramedic interrupted, putting himself in between the couple.

"Can I come with?" he asked.

"Ma'am?" the paramedic asked.

"Um, yeah, sure… " Serena replied hesitantly as she was wheeled out. Darien followed out behind them, to the small elevator and into the awaiting ambulance. The ride was short as he sat next to her, watching with guarded eyes as they poked her pale skin with needles, administering fluids to help bring her levels back to normal.

"I'm sorry," Serena finally said after a few moments had passed. Darien raised an eyebrow.

"For what?" he asked, leaning over her as to not strain her voice.

"Tonight," she said in a raspy speech.

"Shh, don't worry," he said as he grasped her hand, which was unusually cold. "I'm just glad you're okay." She nodded in response before closing her eyes. The rest of the drive he stayed motionless, holding her hand, the chill against his palm subsiding with every second passing by.

#

It had been a few hours, but Darien could see her normal glow begin to return as the fluids pumped through her system, and only another hour when her eyes opened up and had returned to their beautiful, bright state. He yawned into his fist as he listened to her recount as to what happened – _the salad was salty_ _tasting_ – concluding that an item in the salad had been contaminated with a bacteria. The doctor jotted down the name of the restaurant and checked her vitals once more before leaving them in the dim light of the hospital room.

"You don't have to stay," she said softly to him as he yawned again into his fist.

"Nonsense," he dismissed.

"You're exhausted," she reasoned. When he didn't reply, she spoke again into the night. "So, what was the surprise supposed to be?" He smiled.

"I'll omit the meal, because that would be just rude of me, but it definitely involved you not leaving my bedroom for at least 48 hours," he said smugly, a smile stretching out as she laughed lightly.

"Damn it," she replied softly, her voice starting to come back to its normal pitch.

"We'll make up for it, I'm sure," he suggested, to which she responded with a generous 'mmhmm.' He nodded at that; yes, yes they certainly would.

They sat in silence for a little while longer, but when he recognized a soft breathing, he knew she had fallen back asleep. Damn, for her to be in and out like this, how sick had she been? Food poisoning was a finicky illness. He suddenly found himself counting his blessings that he had only had to throw up throughout the night when he had it and was back to his normal self about 24 hours later. To be so severely dehydrated to need medical attention? An involuntary shiver ran up his arms.

Standing up gingerly, he stretched his legs and exited the room, stepping into the harsh, bright lights of the hospital hallway. It was 5:30 now, and while he originally had a 7:00 meeting this morning he was going to attend, he now needed to have his Manager meet with the client. Opening up his contacts, he scrolled and dialed the number, the phone call connecting after a few brief rings.

"Hello, Darien," the soft feminine voice replied almost immediately on the phone, a smile instantly brought to his face.

"Ami, where's Zach?" he asked his sister.

"In the shower. What's going on for you to be calling so early?"

"I need him to take the meeting for me today," Darien replied. "I can't make it."

"Oh, dear, is everything okay?" she asked worryingly.

"It's okay now; I'm with a friend who was ill and needed medical attention," he summarized, suddenly wishing he didn't reveal so much information when he heard Ami respond in interest.

"Is she okay?" she inquired first and foremost. When he replied yes, she continued. "This friend wouldn't happen to be someone that recently wrote an article that's being published, would it?" When he didn't reply, slightly baffled how she guessed her of all people, she continued. "Oh, I just knew it! The way you two looked at each other a few weeks ago, I knew you guys would connect! Oh, Darien, she's just lovely! Please tell me you're bringing her to the Heart Charity Ball next Saturday?"

"Oh, uhm," he stammered, still caught off-guard at his sister's perception. "I'll ask her?" he finally conceded.

"Good, good!" Ami responded happily. "Ok, Zach is getting out of the shower now. I'll have him give you a call back in about 20 minutes or so?"

"That would be great, thanks Ames."

"Of course. Will I be seeing you downtown this week?"

"Monday I planned on dropping by."

"Ok. See you then. And don't forget to ask her. Have a wonderful day, Dare!"

Darien stared at the idle phone, still startled by his sister's correct guess as to who he was seeing, but it immediately shifted over to the ball next weekend. He had forgotten all about it, truthfully; another charity event he routinely attended. This one, however, Ami was the treasurer for, so of course he would attend and donate to. The thought of having Serena dressed in satins or silk in his arms for the evening wasn't such a bad one, he mentally concluded, and would certainly be a pleasant change from all the dull, plastic girls he frequently brought as his plus one.

Yes, he'd ask her to attend, he quickly decided with a smile. Stuffing the phone back into his pocket, he made his way over to the cheap corner chair and leaned back, resting his head against his propped arm before lightly dozing off to images of Serena clad in silver, the ball gown slipping down her gorgeous body before ravaging her in the penthouse suite of the Hilton.

* * *

 _Oh men, always thinking about nekkid ladies XD_

 _If I don't get another chapter in before the new year (I hope to!), I wish you all a wonderful holiday and a safe, exciting New Year!_

 _(And once again, Go Bills! Hehehe.)_


	11. Chapter 11

_Happy New Year, everyone, and welcome to the month of January! For my job, unfortunately, it means I get to dive into the glorious time known as "tax season," so please don't hate me if I don't update for weeks at a time :( I just wanted to give you warning._

 _By the way, a HUGE THANK YOU to all my reviewers. Over 100?! I am BEYOND ecstatic at the response to this story. You guys are truly amazing._

 _I hope you guys enjoy! Thank you for stopping by and please review! I'm always open to your suggestions or if you see an error, please let me know._

 _Love, MU_

* * *

Serena stood in front of her mirror and smoothed out the fabric over her abdomen for probably the hundredth time. She barely recognized herself, cloaked in the luxury of a shimmering rose gold chiffon curve hugging, floor length gown. She felt like a princess, or like Anastasia Steele from those _Fifty Shades_ books she was secretly obsessed with… except without those silver balls shoved up her hoo-hah. In any event, however, Mina totally and completely outdid herself.

After happily accepting Darien's invitation and daydreaming about gowns and champagne, reality sunk in: what, exactly, went into a modern-day "ball"? The only thing she knew about balls was from the Disney manual: handsome prince, flowing, poufy gowns, carriages that turned into pumpkins in the end, and waltzing. Surely, in the modern day era, there weren't prom dresses and horse-drawn carriages.

Sure, she could have asked Darien what exactly she needed to wear. She was a writer, after all, not some socialite who attended these things regularly! And she almost did… had the text written out and everything. But in a moment of not wanting to look foolish, she deleted it. She could figure it out with a little research… she was damn good at research! And so she searched. And searched. And searched.

And it landed her in the middle of Bergdorf's, staring at a Badgley Mischka deep navy, off-the-shoulder crepe evening gown, on clearance for $750. Sure, it would max out her credit card, but it sure was pretty.

Cue Mina: former runway model, self-proclaimed fashionista, who, naturally, was shopping in the very same store, bags dangling from each arm as she talked Serena out of the unnecessarily expensive gown.

Just as any good friend would do, Mina led her out of the store and into her generous walk-in closet she shared with her fiancé. Making her way to the back of the closet, they fingered through the rows of dresses, Serena's fingertips lingering on each piece as she stroked the various fabrics of the gowns.

 _"_ _It's like a boutique in here!" Serena gushed with envy. Mina certainly had great taste, and her modeling career helped her afford her unique and beautiful articles. It certainly helped that her to-be husband had a similar weakness, the two of them the most stylish people she ever met. Continuing to thumb through the articles, she paused when silk grazed her fingertips. Pulling the dress out to examine, her eyes met the faintest shade of rose gold that shimmered as the fabric swayed with each move. The bodice of dress was high necked and fitted, which gave way to a modest mermaid skirt. Turning the dress around, it had a modest scoop in the back, which appeared to round at mid-back at the most._

 _"_ _I forgot I had that dress," Mina said thoughtfully as Serena ogled the dress. "It might be a bit long on you."_

 _"_ _Can I try it on?" Serena asked as she unzipped, her dress dropping to her ankles before Mina had an opportunity to answer. Taking the dress off of the hanger, Mina assisted her stepping into the gown, the cool fabric hugging against Serena's curves in comfort. She spun around and let Mina zip the back up, and true to Mina's word, fabric pooled at her feet._

 _"_ _Damn it, you're right, it is way too long," Serena pouted as she lifted up onto her tippy-toes. She ran her hands against the contour of her hips and thighs, enjoying the fit and feel of the dress. "This is a thing of beauty let me tell you."_

 _As Serena swayed and pouted, Mina pursed her lips in thought. The event was a mere 24 hours away, so tailoring it would be near impossible in such a short time. However…_

 _"_ _Ok, I have a solution, but I will absolutely kill you if anything happens to them," Mina exclaimed as she shuffled to the island in the closet._

Serena smiled back into the mirror as she lifted up the skirts, revealing a pair of rose dusted, open toe Christian Louboutin's. Dear sweet baby Jesus did she feel like she was walking on clouds.

So maybe she was more like Ana Steele than she thought. Silk gown, Louboutin's, and a hot guy likely to sex her into the night? Her shimmering lips curled into a coy smile after that thought.

 _Life is good._

A knock at her door startled her from her thoughts. Gliding over to the door, she opened it slowly, revealing to her the man of her desires cloaked in an exquisite tuxedo. The black, two-button jacket was crafted with artful details, including what could be silk or satin covered buttons and trimming along the lapel and welt pockets. His hair was brushed neatly and pulled back with some product, allowing her to fully drink in the richness of his beautiful facial features. Tucked under his crisp, white collar was a symmetrically tied, inky black bow tie that matched the satin of the lapel.

Dear God, he was HOT.

"Clip on?" she smirked as she poked his bow tie, unable to resist.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You really think I wear clip-on bow ties?"

"It's too perfectly centered!" she countered. "No man can tie a bow tie that well."

"Oh really? And how many men do you go out that wear bow ties that you can accurately tell I'm wearing a clip on?" he retorted, stepping in closer to her. She tilted her head up at him, about to continue their banter, until he dipped down and kissed her.

 _Woah_. Her skin tingled, her nerves on fire as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, the short-lived teasing forgotten for the briefest moment of pleasure. Much sooner than she would have liked, they separated, a smile on his face as he obviously profiled her. Taking her hand, he lifted her arm in the air and twirled her around slowly, a satisfied look etched on his face.

"Why, Ms. Thompson, you clean up very well," he complemented. She rolled her eyes and laughed, reaching for her wrap and her clutch to swat him with. She was just about to bop him on the arm when she felt hot air on her ear, sending tingles down her neck. "I can't wait to take that dress off of you later." He nipped at her ear and she let out a soft moan, tilting her head to the side as he planted a kiss in the rock of her neck. His hands glided softly down her curves, the material of the dress doing no favors to absorb the desirable feelings that he churned out of her. She could feel her breathing slow down as he came to her waist, his hands grasping on to them as he pressed her firmly against him. Another groan, or more so a whimper, slipped past her shimmering pink lips, as he spun her around to face him, a sexy grin splashed across his face.

"Something's missing," he said matter-of-factly as she regained her composure, causing her lips to purse in thought.

"Missing? What could be?" she began to look aimlessly on her body, until she heard a box snap open. When her eyes followed the sound, her eyes came in to contact with the most beautiful, glistening diamond earrings she had ever seen. The design appeared inspired by the 1930's, an ombre of pink to white gold holding dozens of petite, round diamonds.

"Oh, my goodness," she whispered as she stared at them. "Are, are those for me to wear tonight?"

He chuckled. "Of course. And, any other night you'd like to dress up, of course."

She stared at him baffled. "You mean, I get to keep these? They're not a rental, like Richard Gere did?"

"What?"

"Pretty Woman. Ruby and diamond necklace that Julia Roberts wore to the Opera that was worth millions," she answered breathless, still staring at the gorgeous earrings in front of her.

"Sounds like Richard Gere is a cheapskate. Baby, I bought these for you to keep."

"Wow," she replied, still in shock, before squealing and snatching the box out of his hand, shuffling over to the mirror in her bathroom. She pulled out the small crystal studs she had in her ears and slipped in the new posts, the weight of the earrings evidence that they were carrying plenty of heavy stones. She snapped the backing in place and tucked a strand of her curled hair behind her ear, staring in awe at the dangling earring cascading in her reflection. It came within a few inches of her neckline, the colors soft and complementing, nothing like the costume jewelry she had worn to any previous dressy event.

"Oh my God oh my God," she said as she slipped in the other one into place, then practically tackled Darien into her couch. "These are gorgeous. Thank you, thank you, thank you," she said, placing a kiss on his lips with each thank you. He smiled that sexy smile back at her and she smashed her mouth against his again, pouring her appreciation and thanks in the kiss. After a handful of pleasurable minutes, they separated once more, both aware that it was time to head out.

"Did you remember to pack an overnight bag?" he inquired, startling her out of her pleasure-evoked state.

"Yeah," she deeply breathed, trying to calm her body down. "It's by the door."

"Ah, yes," he said as he scooped up the duffle bag with his left arm, slipping the handle of the bag up his forearm. When he turned around and motioned at her to come along, she felt her eyes photograph the image of the dashing man before her, and he was hers.

All hers.

#

Serena had been to the convention center a number of times, but never had she seen it decorated so intimately. The walls were curtained in black fabrics with high top tables scattered around the perimeter and cloaked with shimmering red tablecloths. Each of the dining room tables were dressed with red and white cloth and large, glittery floral centerpieces stretching up towards the ceiling. There were crystal and tea lights scattered throughout, setting a perfectly beautiful romantic atmosphere. In the center of the room she noticed a stage with instruments and a dance floor, indicating that there would be dancing at some point in the evening. The room was about half-full with guests as servers, cloaked all in black, walked around with champagne and shrimp cocktail.

She stood quietly next to Darien, holding on to a flute of champagne, while he talked with his colleague about weather patterns or something of the sort. His job thoroughly confused her, so she couldn't even pretend to know what on earth he was talking about to even try to chime in. Instead, she took to looking around the room, staring in awe at some of the gowns that came through the room. Various cuts, styles, and colors began to fill out the area, and for a moment, Serena felt like she was at an adult prom.

In fact, she saw some women wearing corsages, causing her to giggle slightly.

As the minutes passed by, Darien led her around the room, stopping to chat and shake hands with multiple people about different business ventures. Of course, he was a gentleman and would introduce her, but as the time continued to move on, she found herself becoming slightly bored. She didn't know anything about his work world to even attempt to engage in the conversation, so she continued to sip at her drink and wonder about when they would eat. Just as he was ending his current conversation, she heard his phone ringing in his pocket. He pulled out the iPhone and glanced at it before swiping right to answer.

"One moment, please," he said into the receiver before turning to Serena.

"I'm sorry, I need to take this call in a quieter place. Do you mind if I leave you on your own for a moment?" he inquired apologetically. She smiled at the gesture and waved her hand to him.

"Of course, go." She felt her heart warm when he kissed her forehead before leaving the noisy room, leaving her to wander and explore the area. Slowly she walked around the large room, stopping to look at various artwork, table set ups, the instruments, and eventually to the hoer d'oeuvres table. She was just about to pick up a small plate when she heard someone make a comment.

"So, you're here with Darien Shields," a strong, female voice stated. Serena turned around and saw three gorgeous women crowd behind her. "I was wondering who he was going to be bringing tonight." Serena raised an eyebrow at the commentator, who was busy studying her ruby red nails before looking at her. "My advice, stay far away from him."

Serena glared at the woman, dressed to kill in a lacy, black dress with crimson ribbon inserted in the bodice. Her jet black hair was piled on top of her head, allowing her viewers to see her neck that was decorated with a four row, diamond choker necklace. "And you are?" Serena asked coolly, wary of what this woman's intentions were.

"Nehelenia Moore," she replied into her champagne glass, not even dignifying her introduction with eye contact. "Behind me are Prisma Black and Birdie VanAppeldorn."

Serena glared at Nehelenia in recognition for a moment before it clicked; she was recently married to a diplomat's son in a lavish ceremony that was covered one by her colleagues. It was published in multiple papers and magazines, including her own.

"How do you know Darien?" she inquired, her curiosity piquing. The three ladies let out a giggle, causing Serena to frown.

Nehelenia smiled knowingly, casting a judgmental glance at Serena. Serena continued to stand tall, but could feel her confidence wavering before the three beautiful cackling women. "Why, we used to date, of course!" she exclaimed as if Serena should know this information. "Trust me, honey, he's too much fire for you to handle."

"You don't even know me," Serena spat. "And so what if you two used to date? Like I care."

"Oh, I know you. Serena Thompson, correct? A journalist, if I am not mistaken," Nehelenia replied factually.

"Journalists, aren't they a dying breed?" the platinum blonde in light blue spoke up in a high-pitched, mocking voice. Serena stiffened to the attack on her profession.

"Only those who don't suck at their job," she replied confidently, even though she felt herself quivering.

"Hmm," Nehelenia said as she touched her finger to her chin in wonder. "Speaking so highly of yourself, and yet, the only reason I know who you are is because of a reverse google image search." The girls behind her snickered, their cattiness starting to rattle Serena's core.

"So tell me, with journalism being such a low-grade pay scale, did Darien pay you to be his escort, or are you just a pretty face he's going to pump and dump tonight?" the cropped haired woman slyly stated, her plum lipstick curling into a wicked smile as the ladies continued to snicker further.

She was about to unleash some serious commentary when suddenly she felt an arm link around hers.

"Serena! How wonderful to see you!" Ami said with a genuine smile stretched across her face. "You look absolutely lovely today."

"Ami, hi," Serena replied, thankful for the woman's interruption.

"Nehelenia, Birdie, Prisma," Ami politely regarded them. "I see you've met Darien's girlfriend, Serena."

"Ah, yes," Nehelenia replied, "Lovely woman."

"Indeed."

"Yes."

"Yes she is," Ami agreed. "In fact, thanks to her, my business has tripled in the past month since her article was published."

"Well, that is certainly fantastic," Nehelenia stated, obviously bored with the conversation.

"Oh, my goodness, Serena, are those Van Cleef's?!" Ami gasped as she pulled back Serena's hair, blatantly admiring the new earrings that Darien had given her. Nehelenia, Birdie, and Prisma suddenly looked at her ears with the briefest interest. "I have been after Zach to get me a pendant I've had my eye on from there for our upcoming anniversary. Goodness, ladies, doesn't Darien have amazing taste?" she said with a smile to the ladies.

"Hmm," Nehelenia agreed with a tight smile. "Well, it was lovely catching up with you Ami. Serena, a pleasure."

"Truly," Serena replied sarcastically as she watched the three women disappear into the crowd. Turning to Ami, she let out a deep breath. "Thank you."

"Of course. Those women are horrible, self-absorbed sponges," Ami replied as she smoothed out an imaginary wrinkle on her navy evening gown. "Ignore whatever they said. Come, you're sitting at our table tonight," Ami said as she led Serena over to one of the center-placed tables, noticing Darien had taken his seat next to who she presumed was Ami's husband by the familiarity of their exchange.

"So, that Nehelenia woman, did she and Darien really date?" Serena asked, finding herself unable to shake the comments or the exotic beauty she was blessed with.

"In college, but that was years ago," Ami replied with a dismissal of her hand. "Believe me when I say that Darien only has eyes for you, no matter what that catty woman said."

Serena nodded, still slightly shaken when she sat down at the table next to Darien. As she looked around the room and watched the guests all take their seat, she suddenly felt like she was in the setting of the affluent all trying to portray their wealth. The meal was gourmet, but it lacked soul and felt commercially prepared. The speeches were informative, but they lacked heart. The donations were aspiring, but they were overshadowed by the illusion of people pretending to care. The only person who seemed to truly appreciate everything was Ami, who was dabbing her eyes with her husband's handkerchief, constantly repeating how thankful she was for all the money. She could feel her heart warm a bit at Ami's tender response, but she was still slightly bothered, unable to push newly discovered doubts out of her mind.

 _"_ _Trust me, honey, he's too much fire for you to handle."_

Dinner was soon cleared from the tables as servers began to pour aromatic coffee into the dainty cups, to which Serena took a lengthy sip. She felt herself relax at the sip of coffee, a flavor that those of all classes enjoyed. She never realized how inferior she was to this world until she was mocked openly for her profession by a bunch of housewives. Did Darien find her profession silly? Would he think her to be successful? Or was she part of a 'dying breed,' as Birdie so kindly put it.

Her thoughts were startled as she felt Darien wrap his arm around her chair and gently touch her forearm, stroking it with his knuckles as he continued his conversation with Zach. Ami's husband was a kind and confident man, boldly shaking hands with everyone at the table and adding commentary as it was appropriate to interject. From her recollection, he worked as a Manager with Darien, who was technically his boss. They seemed more like brothers than colleagues, which Serena found was really nice. She didn't have that kind of relationship with her coworkers aside from brief coffee room chit-chat.

The strain of music began to fill the room. Looking up and in the direction of the stage, Serena watched as a group of men filed out to their respective instruments. Within a few moments, the bandstand began to play Frank Sinatra's _My Way_ , and Serena couldn't help but hum along.

"You know this song?" Darien asked, interrupting her swaying to the melody.

"I adore this song," Serena sighed, feeling herself relax. "I love Frank Sinatra."

"Dance with me," Darien said as he extended his hand.

"Oh, no, I don't think I can dance like them," she said as she pointed to the dance floor.

"Yes you can. Come on," Darien said as he tugged at her arm. She looked back out on the floor, noting Nehelenia and Co. with their partners, before looking back at him. He was looking at her, and only her, with that stupid, sexy smile of his, she couldn't resist.

Nodding, she put her hand into his, and he led her out on to the vinyl tiles of the dance floor. Guiding her hands, he placed her left hand on his right shoulder before gently placing his hand on her waist. Taking her free hand, he clasped it in his, lifting it up and holding on steady, his eyes locked into hers. Together they danced, Darien leading her in perfect step to the flow of the music. As the song progressed, she felt herself relax slightly, a smile beginning to creep across her features.

She felt herself flush under his eye contact, their bodies moving closer as they progressed into the next song, becoming more comfortable and confident dancing with him. He turned elegantly, his body in tune with the music; and yet, each move was laced with control, like he was someone who shouldn't be underestimated. The warmth between them grew more powerful by the second, and she could feel her heartbeat beating in sync with their steps.

He guided her across the floor, and for a moment she felt like Cinderella at the ball, dancing in the loving arms of her Prince Charming. She allowed him to take her along the dance floor, ignoring the glances and whispers that people were echoing amongst their partners. When the song came to an end and they separated, she felt a pang of sadness, but also felt her body pool with desire. No wonder why people used to dance at balls back in the day. Being in the arms of your lover, allowing him to lead you, was truly one of the most innocent, yet lustful moments she had ever experienced.

 _Screw clubs. Ballroom dancing is so much more exhilarating._

They strolled over to the ball, laughing and smiling before grabbing a drink and bringing it back over to the table. The words from Nehelenia and her crew were slowly forgotten as the two of them exchanged conversation throughout the evening. Yet, as the night progressed, Serena could feel the wanton radiating off of Darien in the subtle ways he began to touch her and look at her; she, too, found herself wanting to get out of there herself. In a moment of boldness, she stood up and kissed his cheek, but not before nipping at his ear and whispering a very erotic detail that had his eyebrows raise in complete surprise.

"Really?" he asked, clearly taken aback. She smirked and nodded, causing him to quickly stand up and slip on his jacket.

"Ami, Zach, we're going to take off for the evening. Ami, a lovely job yet again. Zach, I'll see you Monday," Darien said with a wave and a handshake respectively. Serena was less in a hurry, giving Ami and Zach each a hug goodbye as they presented their open arms. In haste, Darien clasped her hand in his while she held her clutch and wrap in the other, allowing him to lead her out of the room and over to the skyway, which connected the convention center to the hotel.

"Really?" he asked her again as they stood in front of the steel plated elevator doors, waiting for them to spring open.

"Would I lie to you?" she asked with a knowing smirk.

He ran his fingers through his hair, tousling them in a way that caused them to fall over his eyes. "Shit, had I known earlier," he mused. The doors finally opened, and as a few guests of the hotel exited, they stepped on, the two of them being the only patrons on the lift. The doors closed and scaled them up the building, concluding their ascension on the 48th floor. Tugging her off of the lift, he pulled her into the hallway and over a few doors to their room.

He threw the door open and pulled her in to him, slamming it behind her as he ran his hand down her open back and clasped onto her behind. "Here I thought you were simply wearing a thong," he murmured against her lips, causing her to giggle.

"It's fun to keep you guessing," she replied as he unclasped the fabric around her neck, letting the bodice fall around her waist. He groaned before turning her around, unzipping the pink fabric and letting it fall around her ankles with a gentle plop.

His eyes roamed with greed as she stood completely naked, only wearing the earrings he given her and her heels. "Do you have any idea how incredibly sexy you look right now?" he asked with a primitive growl, a hunger laced in his voice that she nearly shivered.

He scooped her up and walked her over to the king sized mattress, the moonlight illuminating the white duvet cover interrupted as he placed her on top and within an instant hovered over her. Their lips met in carnal passion, the heat nearly overtaking their systems as their tongues slipped into one another's mouths, drinking from each other in haste. Serena felt herself practically clawing at Darien's jacket while his fingertips ran across her bare skin, her head tipping back in ecstasy as his mouth began to descend down her neck. Closing her eyes, she moaned at the sensation of his mouth on her body, the urge to strip him out of his tux and feel him pressed against her growing with each passing second.

Pushing him off of her, she leaned up against him and slipped the jacket down his arms and carelessly tossed the material off to the side of the bed. As she went to pull at the bowtie, her brow furrowed as it wouldn't budge. Her eyes snapped up at him and held eye contact, a goofy 'o' registering on her face.

"No way!" she cried out before lifting the collar of his shirt up. Her fingers slipped up the silk fabric of the ribbon, making its way to the clasp that rested in the back. "It IS a fake! I knew it!" she cried in victory as she unclasped it and held on to it, waving it in front of his eyes as she laughed.

He pressed his lips in a frown as she swung the faux bow tie in front of him, giggling as he snatched it out of her hands. Instead of tossing it off to the side, as she would have expected him to do, he wrapped it around her neck and clasped it, allowing the material to hang loosely around her neckline.

"Ah, I always knew there was a good use for these," he concluded. She giggled as he claimed her lips once more, falling under the intoxication of passion.

#

Serena walked out of the suite bedroom nuzzling the softest, fluffiest white bathrobe she had ever worn, her damp hair hung limply against the back. She began to make her way to Darien, who was reading the paper while eating a piece of whole wheat toast. Behind him, she slipped her arms around his torso and pressed her head against his bare skin, reveling in the warmth of him.

"Looks like we made the front page of the Lifestyles section," Darien greeted as he shuffled the pages back to the first page. It was a photo of the two of them dancing, looking very much like lovers, amongst various other photos from the charity.

"Aww, how adorable we look," Serena replied as she let go of him and grabbed the paper, plopping on the couch in the small living space. "Our first photo together!" Serena continued to scan the other photos on the page, a scowl unknowingly stretching across her features when she focused on Nehelenia. Darien must have been watching her, because he asked her the reason for the look.

"I was accosted by your ex last night," she simply responded. Darien raised an eyebrow.

"Who?"

"Nehelenia Moore," Serena shrugged. "Told me to stay away from you." Relief flooded as she watched Darien roll his eyes.

"Ignore her. She's been a thorn in my side for years," he responded.

"Ami mentioned she was your college girlfriend," Serena replied casually. "Sounds like quite a while to be hung up on you."

"Yeah, well, look at me," he replied smugly.

"I am, and like I said, sounds like quite a while to be hung up on you."

"Come on now, who _wouldn't_ want to be with me? I'm rich, devilishly handsome-"

"… pompous, egocentric, vain," she replied with a smug, teasing smile.

"Hey now, it's my vain, egocentric self that made your toes curl last night," he retorted knowingly.

Dropping the robe at her feet, she raised her eyebrow at him tauntingly. "Care to try again?"

#

A discarded newspaper rattled him out of his thoughts. Taking in another deep inhale of his cigarette, he reached for the print, shrugging in _why not_ fashion as he skimmed the articles. Per usual, nothing of interest was printed. Aimlessly flipping, he suddenly stopped and stared. Wrapping his middle and index finger around the butt, he took another deep breath of his cigarette and blew the smoke out at the paper, watching in satisfaction as the poisonous smoke ringed around the dancing couple.

As his eyes continued to focus on the couple, he took his cigarette and placed it on the image of the face of that rich bastard. With his face burned out, he stared at Serena's loving face, her smile more beautiful than he could recall. His eyes looked back over to the scorched hole in the paper.

"She will never be yours."

* * *

 _DUN DUN DUNNNNN._

 _It can't be all romance, can it?! After all, this is a romantic DRAMA._

 _Saddle on up, because here we GO!_


	12. Chapter 12

_Gosh, guys, maybe I need to put a disclaimer of 'I'm gonna be busy!' up more often because it was quiet the last two days! YAY!_

 _And in my exhausted state of mind while putting my youngest to bed, I was able to lay out the next three, yes - THREE - chapters and the direction I want this story to head. Never in my mind did I think I'd see this story have as many chapters as I'm somehow pooling together. So, if the trend of a quiet continues, maybe I'll be able to get these chapters posted more continuously._

 _Oh, crap. I think I jinxed myself, because I find when I say 'I'll post real soon!' suddenly I'm swamped with life._

 _Ugh._

 _In any event, I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Thank you all again for your continued support!_

 _Love,_

 _MU_

* * *

There was an obvious extra bounce in her step as she made her way up the small walkway to the front porch. In her right hand swung a plastic bag with a yellow smiley face, the contents inside being their favorite Chinese food. They always got the exact same meal: sesame chicken, white rice, wonton soup. It was their thing ever since they discovered the small restaurant: they'd sit across from one another, the waiter would come up, and she would order for both of them. In fact, they had been doing it for so many years on a biweekly basis that the moment they walked in, the owner's son knew exactly what they were going to order.

 _"_ _The usual, Shin!"_ she would happily exclaim while he gazed lovingly at her.

Lately, however, he had been absent. Even though University was nearby, she was slammed with her course load this past semester. She knew that it was putting a strain on them, but they had been together for almost five years. It didn't help that he was working 40 hours in the stock room of the grocery, but she was determined to make up for lost time tonight. In her other hand, she merrily swung a duffel bag of her pajamas and lazy Sunday clothing, her intentions clear.

His Mom was out of town this weekend from what she recalled, so she decided to surprise him with a sleepover. Not like his Mom would really care; they had been together since they were 15. So long as Serena respected the rules of the house, she had permission to spend the occasional night.

But when the Mom's away, the kids can play. And Serena really, _really_ wanted to play.

She knocked at the door, a smile stretched on her face when she saw lights illuminating through the frosted windows, indicating he was home. Deciding against formalities to wait, she turned the unlocked doorknob and entered. After all, she was practically family; his Mom even had pictures of them hung in frames throughout the walls of the house. Slipping off her shoes and placing them on the tray, she snapped her head to the left when she heard voices murmuring upstairs.

 _Who else is here?_

Quietly shuffling upstairs, the voices grew louder. She recognized the one voice as Sapphire, his best friend, and Esmeraude, his girlfriend. Back in Senior year of high school and whenever she could on the weekends, the four of them would hang out, playing video games, walking across the bridge to their favorite pizza joint, or cozying on the couch watching movies, so she was slightly surprised she had not been invited over. Shaking her head, she was about to throw the door open and join in the conversation when she heard a sentence that suspended her.

"Dude, you have to tell her," she could hear Sapphire urge behind the closed door.

"Di, this isn't right. She deserves to know," Esmeraude agreed, sounding like she was in tears.

Serena could feel her chest rising and falling heavily, her throat constricting as she listened further. Clearly they were having a conversation she was not meant to hear. Closing her eyes, she could feel the tears pooling, but she continued to listen. Maybe it wasn't what it sounded like. Maybe…

"She won't know if you guys don't tell her," he replied sharply, causing both friends to gasp.

"Jesus, Diamond, do you even care about her anymore?" Esmeraude accused, clearly upset. "All those times she's stood by you!"

"Shut up, Es," she heard Diamond sneer.

"No! I'm not going to shut up! You cheated on Serena and you don't even have the decency to come clean about it! The only reason we're here is because Sapph and I saw you!" Esmeraude practically shouted at him.

She could feel her body convulsing, her nerves shaking as she dropped the bags at her feet. She wanted to yelp, scream out in pain, drop down and sob. However, her legs took on a power of their own and managed to carry her forward, her hand mechanically pushing open the door with a giant thrust, slamming it across the wall of his bedroom.

The three of them gasped as they looked at her, clearly shocked by Serena's burst into the bedroom. Her eyes were wide and glossy as she stared at Diamond, casually propped against his wall on the side of his bed. His pale blue eyes, a shade so beautiful they almost looked lavender, stared at her in both shock and irritation. Brushing his once-blonde-now-dyed-silver bangs back, he let out a deep sigh as he continued to look at her. Clearly, he was caught.

"It's not true," she whispered. "Please, tell me it's not true!" Tears began to slide down her face as she felt her heart clench. His mouth remained unmoving, only a firm line etched against his pale skin. Instead of saying anything, he stood up and breezed by her, exiting the bedroom and leaving her with their, his, two friends.

"Serena, I'm so sorry," Esmeraude finally said after a few awkward moments.

"What happened? With who? I want to know. Please! Tell me anything!" she cried as she looked between the two friends, who were exchanging conflicted looks between one another. "Please, I need to know!" she bit out with a sob.

Sapphire sighed as he ran his fingers through his navy-tipped hair. "You don't know her," he replied sadly.

"What's her name? I need to know!" she pleaded with him. He shook his head.

"No, you don't. Don't torture yourself looking for her, Serena."

"What did they do? Kiss? Make out? What?"

"Uhm," Esmeraude trailed, unsure. "Sapphire?"

Sapphire shook his head. "You need to talk to him, Serena."

"But!"

"He needs to tell you. We're behind you with this. Come on," he said as he stood up, looking at his girlfriend to follow.

Nodding, she shakily left the bedroom and descended downstairs, where he was sitting on the couch, his x-box controller in hand while he started a game of Halo. Wide eyed, she looked between the television and the man who was completely unaffected by the discovery of his infidelity.

Clearly, he didn't even _care_.

Her fingertips twitched with anger. Weren't cheaters supposed to at LEAST say sorry? Instead, she picked the lousiest, careless, self-absorbed bastard who couldn't even show one ounce of remorse?

And so she walked over and slapped the controller out of his hand, drinking in satisfaction as it nosily bounced against the hardwood floors away from them.

"Tell me. Now," she ordered. He remained silent, staring at her with dark, challenging eyes, so cold and uncaring she could feel ice running through her veins.

"NOW!" she screamed as she slapped him against the face, the force causing his head to turn to the left and bounce softly in the couch cushion. He looked back at her once more, anger flickering momentarily, before finally saying something.

"I'm going to be a Dad. Happy?" he finally said before standing up and walking back up the stairwell. She listened as his feet shuffled up the creaky steps, then a brief moment of silence before the door slammed. She stared into the couch, her body unresponsive, as she felt her world begin to crumble around her.

All the years together suddenly shattered, the illusion of spending forever with her first love instantly destroyed as she fell to her knees and screamed. Esmeraude immediately scooped her into a hug, Serena screaming and sobbing into the woman's shoulder in total heartbreak. Diamond was supposed to be her forever. He was her first love in every sense of the word. She stood by him when he dropped out of public school in favor of trade classes. She was constantly giving him money since he didn't make much at his job and wanted to have nicer things. She watched his little sister, went on his family vacations, housesat for his parents. She was _family._ And now, he was about to have a family with someone else.

"I need to get out of here," she finally cried. "Can you get my stuff? Please?" she implored Esmeraude, who quietly nodded and shuffled off.

"Serena, I'm so sorry," Sapphire said. "What he did… it's not right. It's not."

She gave him a shaky nod of appreciation. It was nice knowing that even he did not stand behind Diamond's actions, despite being his best friend. Esmeraude whisked down the stairs and handed her the duffle bag, her eyes also brimming with tears.

It was the end of an era.

Her lips quivered, but she couldn't bear to say any words. Rushing past them, she threw open the door and ran out, her tears trailing behind her as she ran as fast as she could to the nearest bus stop. Once she reached it, she slipped down the pole and buried her head in her knees. How could he do that to her? Why? Was she not good enough, not pretty enough? He always told her that he would be with her forever? What happened to forever?

What happened to forever?

#

"Can we leave?" Serena hissed to Lita, who was on pace to finish her cheeseburger in the slowest record time.

"Why? What's wrong?" Lita asked, noticing Serena's sudden change in demeanor. Lita watched as Serena tossed a sharp glance over to the arcade area and then back at her, wiggling her eyebrows in Morse code. Lita looked over to see a tall, lanky man with pale blonde hair hovering over the pinball machine, overly animated in his moves, before looking back at Serena.

"Oh, shit," she responded before shoving the remains of the burger in her mouth. Serena quickly tossed a handful of yen on the table, more than enough to cover their meals and tip, and tried to hide behind Lita's taller frame as they made their way to the exit of the Crowne.

Unfortunately, even Lita's towering height couldn't shield her from her yesteryears.

"Serena?" the painfully familiar voice called out, causing her to cringe. "Lita?"

Lita was the first to speak, much to Serena's gratitude. "Diamond," she replied coolly.

"Wow, it's been years. How have you been?" he asked as he shoved his hands into his pocket.

"Busy," she answered noncommittally. "In fact, we're about to head out. Shall we?" she said to Serena, who simply nodded in haste.

"Woah, wait, Serena, how have you been?" he quickly asked as he jumped in front of the two women. Serena frowned as she profiled him, but absolutely refused to make eye contact with him. She didn't know if it was the pure hatred for him or it was just plain obvious, but he looked absolutely awful. His face was shrunken, his eyes hollow, his body more slender than she could recall.

"Like Lita said, busy," she responded flatly. "If you'll excuse us." She attempted to barge past him, Lita behind her, but he shuffled in front of them once more.

"Serena, come on," he urged, causing her to feel a familiar hatred surge through her.

She caught his gaze, startling him slightly as she looked at him with a cold stare. "How's your daughter?" she bit. She felt a slight sense of satisfaction as she watched him frown and back away.

"She's good," he responded while looking away from her. With that, Serena pushed opened the glass door and walked out into the warm early June weather, a welcome change of scenery as she hurried down the sidewalk and away from the parlor.

"Gross, it's been at least five years since I've last run into him," Serena seethed as Lita walked alongside her. "Is it just my absolute hatred for him, or did he look like complete and total shit?"

Lita laughed. "He looked like shit, but then again, he has always looked like it."

"Ugh, I know. I don't know what I saw in him," Serena said while rolling her eyes. "Even now when I come across a photo of him from back in high school, I look at it and ask myself 'what the fuck was I thinking?'"

"Rose colored glasses, sweetie," Lita replied with a shrug.

"More like hypnosis," Serena countered.

"You saw something in him that none of us did," Lita continued. "That's all."

"Yeah, well, I wish I never had," she spat as she tried to put him out of her mind. Four years of wasted time. Four years of putting up with his mood swings, his flightiness, his abandonment, his possessiveness, and it was all for naught.

"Let's change the subject," Serena hastily replied as they turned the corner. "I'd rather not waste any more precious oxygen on that buffoon."

Lita was more than compliant. "Agreed. So, are you bringing Darien next week?"

"Next week?" Serena asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"The reunion, dumbass!" Lita reminded her. Serena mentally slapped her head to her forehead; of course! Lita was on the committee for throwing their ten-year high school reunion, which was next set for Saturday evening. She had done one hell of a job recruiting attendees; about 90% of their class was coming, including one of her oldest friends, Molly, who lived in Hiroshima with her husband, Melvin. Both of them married right out of high school and set off for Hiroshima for college, jobs, life, and children. They kept in touch via Facebook, but Molly had made a point to tell her that she was coming down for the weekend with Melvin and the kids specifically to attend the reunion.

"Oh, shit, I forgot all about that!" Serena exclaimed while attempting to avoid the daggers Lita's eyes were throwing at her.

"Forget?! How did you forget?!" Lita cried out in mock hurt as they turned onto another street.

"I'm sorry! I have it written down! It's just been a crazy couple of weeks is all. "

"Yuh huh. 'Crazy.' Did your planner get lost down Darien's pants or something?"

"Hey, leave Darien's pants out of this."

"Speaking of which, he's coming, yes?"

Serena let out a thoughtful sigh. "I mean, I'll ask him, but I doubt he will."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, it doesn't seem like his scene, ya know?"

"So? If he's dating you, and you have an event that has a plus-one, he should be there with you, shouldn't he?"

"Well, I mean, I don't really know if we're, 'dating,' ya know?" Serena admitted with a shrug. "We've never really had that talk." The two girls veered off to a small market with generous fruit stands stretched against the brick walls, their conversation continuing as they picked up small baskets and began to fill them with various items.

"He bought you diamond earrings. You're dating," Lita said straightforwardly.

"You think?"

"I don't think, I know," Lita confirmed.

"Crap, if it's anything like my past relationships, now that we're defined as 'dating' it's going to implode in the next few weeks," Serena whined as she placed a handful of peaches into her basket. Lita laughed as she grabbed a clamshell of kale and placed it into her basket, followed by a pint of strawberries.

"So, then it's settled?"

"What?"

"You're bringing him, yes?" Lita asked with a twinkle in her eye. "I bet you he'd get along great with Nate and Kunz."

"Fine! I'll ask, okay?"

Lita smiled a grin of victory. "I'll set aside an extra ticket for him."

#

As Serena sat at the glass dining room table tapping away on her keyboard, she occasionally would look up from her screen to look at Darien. He was magnificent behind his mahogany desk, his thin, wire rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose as he reviewed what appeared to be a thick, wordy contract. In his hand was a red gel pen that was moving so fast, it looked like it was about to explode from overuse. She frowned; there hadn't been a single opportunity to present the invitation to him.

Bowing her head back down, she stared at the Word document of her unfinished article and pursed her lips. Why couldn't she wrap up the conclusion of this article? All she needed was a good four, five sentence paragraph, but the words weren't flowing out right. _El Agave_ was a delicious, quaint Mexican restaurant, and she did enjoy her meal. So, what was the problem?

"Everything okay over there?" Serena poked her head back over her computer to look at Darien, whose eyes were peering over the tops of his glasses at her. _He looks like Mister Rogers, or a librarian when he does that._

"Yeah, just writer's block," she replied. He nodded and turned his head back to his papers. She was about to let him continue, but decided since he had interrupted himself, it was now or never.

"Actually," she began, "I was wondering if I could ask you something?"

He put down his papers. "Sure."

"Next Saturday is my high school reunion."

"Okay?"

She sighed. "I"d like you to come with me."

The slight jerk of his head gave away his surprise of the invitation. She continued. "It's my ten year reunion. My best friend Lita practically planned all of it, and they're all bringing their fiancé's, so, I was hoping, maybe, you'd come with me?"

"Ten year reunion? God, you're young," he teased as he smiled at her. She responded by bouncing a pen off of his head from across the room.

"So?"

"'So' what?"

"Will you come with me?"

"Where is it?"

"In the gym."

"The gym? Of the high school?"

"Yeah? What other gym do you think I mean? The YMCA?"

"It's not at a restaurant or a banquet hall or something?"

"What the hell kind of reunion did you attend? No, it's at the gym at Juuban High."

"Ah, that explains it."

"Explains what?!"

"Public school."

She snorted. "And?"

"Nothing."

She tilted her neck back in irritation. "Are you seriously judging me for attending public school?"

"No."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not. I'm judging that your reunion is in your high school gymnasium."

"So!?"

"It's tacky."

"You know what, invitation rescinded," she huffed as she closed her monitor. "And I'm out of here."

"Okay," he said as he leaned back into his office chair, watching her as she stuffed her computer into her backpack. She growled at him.

"You're so infuriating!" Her eyebrows snapped together further when he gave her that stupid smile of his.

"Am I?"

"Yes!"

He laughed, causing the fire in her chest to flicker brighter. "I'm just teasing you."

"Yeah, well, right now I don't want to be teased!" she said angrily. "I was being serious." She watched with mistrusting eyes as stood up from his chair and made his way to the front of the desk, placing his palms on top of it and leaning against it.

"Next Saturday?" he asked.

"Forget it."

"I fly home from Hong Kong on Friday, so yes, I'll be there."

"I said forget it," she challenged.

"You don't want me there?"

"No." _Yes._

He smiled. "Yes, you do."

"No, I don't." _Yes, I do._

"Okay, fine, I won't come." She gulped.

"I mean, Lita already set aside the ticket for you," she said in a rushed breath.

"Alright then."

"Okay."

"What time?"

"7:00."

"I'll put it in my calendar."

She sighed as she slung her bag over her shoulder, only to have him pull her against him. "What, still you're leaving?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You're exhausting," she responded, still irritated from their conversation. "You couldn't just give me a simple answer?"

"I'm a complex man, baby," he grinned as he brushed his lips over her. At first she tried to ignore his kiss, but she knew it was useless. He kissed her once, twice, three times more before the bag finally slipped down her arm, her resistance forgotten as he lifted her on to his desk.

"You're. So. Infuriating." she panted as Darien assaulted her neck, causing her to whimper as he descended lower.

"Isn't that the basis of our relationship?" he said huskily as he ran his fingers down her abdomen. She moaned in response.

"Yes," she said breathless, her mind swirling from the feelings he provoked in her.

"For the next thirty minutes that's the only word I want to hear from you," he whispered.

She could feel the mocking of the generous amount of time on the tip of her tongue, but before she could even let it out, a surge of pleasure washed over her, their bickering, bantering, and teasing forgotten.

* * *

 _Author's Note!_

 _So, fun fact... the discovery of Diamond's infidelity is taken from my own real-life experience, minus a few tweeks: he wasn't my first love, he didn't impregnate someone.. that's really it, actually lol. Everything else is pretty much exactly the same... only my ex was wearing overalls when I slapped him. Who the hell wore overalls in 2004? Anywho, even all these years later it's so easy to visualize the moment I found out and the unreal feelings I experienced. The only difference between the Serena I'm writing and my personal experience is that I was a fool and took him back. Serena closed herself off to relationships (which is why she mentions they never last longer than a few weeks) until now._

 _And that's why we're going to now explore how Serena deals with a real adult relationship after having her first one end so disastrously. The high school reunion is next! Who will Serena run in to? Stay tuned!_


	13. Chapter 13

_Happy last day of January :)_

 _This chapter is a little on the shorter scale - I'm really sorry about that! Regardless, I hope you enjoy._

 _Hope all is well!_

 _Love, MU_

* * *

Serena yawned into her mug, the green tea in her favorite neko mug doing nothing to help keep her awake. She glanced over to the clock in the upper right hand corner of her desktop to see that it was only 8:30. _Pathetic,_ she mentally chastised as she dug at her eyes. The last few days were wearing thin on her; between her regular workload and recent layoffs at the magazine, her workload picked up dramatically. No longer was she just reviewing restaurants, but she was now responsible for reviewing attractions in the area.

She knew she was one of the lucky ones to not lose her job, especially being one of the newer staff members, but she would be a damn liar if she said it wasn't difficult. Tokyo has many attractions, new ones constantly popping up, and her mission was to grab those that were only around for only a fleeting period. Tapping her fingers against the keyboard, she added "Mexican Food Truck Rodeo" to the list of items to attend in August. That one maybe she could double-dip.

A red notification caught her eye as she stared blankly at her screen. Clicking on the iMessaging icon, she frowned when she noticed a message from Darien asking her to call him. She checked the timestamp; _crap, two hours ago!_ She picked up her phone and dialed his number, then slapped her head when she realized he probably was on the flight back home. She was about to press the 'end' button until a ring startled her. _Did he forget to turn off hi–_

"Hey," his deep voice transmitted over the receiver.

"Hey… aren't you supposed to be on a flight home?" she inquired.

"That's why I wanted you to call me. Can you hold on one moment?" Before she could answer, she heard a shuffle of the phone followed by what sounded like Chinese dialect exchanged between the parties. "Ok, I'm back."

"Am I interrupting something?" Serena asked, still confused.

"No, don't worry. Listen, I had to extend my trip. The Board of Directors unanimously agreed upon our contract conditions, so we have a follow-up meeting to video conference with the client."

"Oh," Serena said dejected. "Congratulations."

"Thank you. Listen, I know you have your reunion tomorrow," he trailed.

"You can't make it," she finished knowingly. She sighed.

"I'm sorry. Unfortunately, I have to be here. It's a video conference with a company in the States, so we're conferencing at 11:00 tonight and it's going to last a good couple of hours. Then we have additional meetings the following day."

"Sounds tiring," she replied, disappointment still evident.

"It is. But, it means I did my job right," he said with pride. The corners of her mouth twitched into a half smile, but it didn't nurse the dissatisfaction very well.

"I'm glad," she responded simply.

"I know you're disappointed," he sighed into the phone.

"Yeah, I am, but it's fine. It's your job. I get it. Sometimes I have to work late, too, cuz, well, life," she responded flatter than she had hoped. She cringed when she heard him sigh.

"Listen, if you're going to just sigh and groan over the fact that I have to work, I'll talk to you some other time. I really don't have time for this," he grumbled over the phone.

"Sorry, didn't realize I wasn't allowed to be disappointed." After a brief pause, Darien's voice shifted into a dismissive one.

"I'm not doing this," he informed her before hanging up on her. She scoffed when she realized the call had ended; did he seriously hang up on her?

"Who the fuck hangs up on people?!" Serena exclaimed to the empty apartment, throwing her phone into the decorative pillow on the couch. Her anger only intensified when the phone opted to bounce in the wrong direction, landing face down on her hardwood floors. "Fuck!" Scooping it up, she was greeted by a nice, long diagonal crack on the bottom right, causing her insides to begin to boil.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

#

After a fitful night sleep and a serious dose of a much-needed girl's afternoon, Serena tried to ignore the nagging disappointment that continued to stir in her as she sat at the group's table. She had done well prior to this point of the evening ignoring the fact she was here alone, but after concluding her conversation with Molly and Melvin and seeing them still so much in love, she found herself saddened yet again that Darien couldn't be here. After calling Mina and practically wailing to her about her predicament, Mina helped calm her down and come back to Earth about the reality of the situation. In the end, Serena felt pretty embarrassed by her actions; they were adults with responsibilities. It would be completely unprofessional if he blew off his meetings for his girlfriend's high school reunion. She had apologized to him via text and he responded with a brief acknowledgement, but otherwise he had been silent. Pulling her phone out again, glanced at the screen briefly, only to replace it when she saw that no messages were waiting for her.

Redirecting her thoughts, Serena smiled and waved over to her group of friends as they danced with their significant others. The gym looked exactly like it did back when they had their senior prom, putting nostalgia in full throttle. Silver and white balloon arches and pillars were all over the gym, navy blue and silver lights swirling on the dance floor as an epic jam of 2000's pop hits blared over the loudspeaker. The crowd was in fine form tonight – although there were no couples grinding on one another like ten years ago, the floor was filled with smiling faces. Serena had spent some time out there along Lita, Mina, and Raye, but quickly felt out-of-place as they began to pay more attention to their dates.

Sighing, Serena shifted away from the table and over to something that they certainly did not have at prom: the bar. After ordering a beer from the bartender, she perched herself at a high-top table sheathed in blue. She took a slow sip of her beer, enjoying the hoppy flavor, when someone startled her.

"Serena?"

Serena whirled around to the familiar voice calling her, only to question the individual in front of her. "Sapphire?" she asked slightly hesitantly, the man before her a complete different person than she remembered. Long gone was the punk rocker with navy blue tipped hair, Tripp jeans and punk rock shirts; his hair was back to its natural black, cut and neatly parted, his outfit was a pair of black slacks and a gingham-checkered button down with a simply slim tie. Had it not been for his voice, she easily would not have recognized him. "Holy shit, Sapphire, you look, wow!" She stood up to embrace him, the two of them exchanging a brief sway before separating.

"Sit down, sit down!" she urged as she stared at him. "Wow, you look so…"

"Adult?" he smirked.

She laughed. "Well, yeah, I guess for lack of a better word. Do you have your Misfits shirt underneath that button down?"

"Hey, that t-shirt has been through some amazing times, let me tell you," he defended with a playful smile.

She exchanged a smile back. "How the hell have you been? You're not still with Esmeraude by chance, are you?" She giggled as his face scrunched up, clearly indicating their separation.

"God, no, not for years," he informed her. "Esmeraude wound up moving to Hokkaido for veterinarian school. We tried long distance, but it didn't work. She's actually married now."

"Really?" Serena asked. He nodded.

"Yup, a few years ago. We're still friends on Facebook, but we lost touch right around the time she got engaged."

"I'm sorry," Serena sympathized. He shook his head.

"No, don't be sorry. It's the way it's supposed to be."

She shrugged. "But, still." Seeing Sapphire in slacks was weird enough, but without Esmeraude was even stranger. "I definitely thought you guys were endgame."

"Nah," he said as he sipped his beer. "What about you?"

"Me? Oh, I'm seeing someone," she replied nonchaulantly, still feeling slightly bitter from their argument earlier.

"Is he here?" Sapphire asked as he began to gaze the gymnasium. He stopped when she shook her head no.

"He's on a business trip," she said flatly.

"Ah," he replied. "I can tell that you're annoyed by that." She raised her eyebrow. "When you used to get annoyed by Diamond, your forehead makes this distinguished 'v' right in between your eyebrows. That's how we all knew you were really pissed off."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"So, when I would say I'm not mad, you'd-?"

"Already knew you were livid," he answered. She laughed.

"Damn, I guess some things never change."

"Yes and no," Sapphire mused.

Their conversation flowed comfortably, two friends reconnecting and catching up on the details of their lives. She learned that he wound up buckling down at community college and actually made his way to University to study marketing. It lead him to discover and excel in the world of advertising. He still lived in Tokyo and worked at a television station, but still loved to occasionally game when he had the time. Once the second round of drinks came and went, they found themselves at an awkward corner.

"You know, after Diamond did that to you, Es and I put some distance between him and us," Sapphire somberly admitted.

"O-oh," Serena responded softly to his revelation.

He continued. "Between his shitty treatment of you and the drugs, he was becoming toxic. Eventually we just stopped hanging out altogether. He'd message me on occasion online, but it was pretty much jibberish."

"I had hear rumors," she said disheartening, "that he fell pretty hard into drugs."

He nodded. "Yeah."

"You'd think his daughter would be a reason to stay away from the stuff," she judged as she finished off the last of her drink.

"Last I heard, he doesn't even have visitation rights."

She shook her head. "Unbelievable."

"Not like it matters coming from me, but, I'm sorry for what he did to you all those years," he said as he placed his hand over hers.

"Thank you," she replied warmly. Just as she was about to pull her hand away, Mina suddenly jumped in between the two former friends, dressed to kill in a sunny yellow strapless dress. She wrapped her tanned arm around Serena's shoulders and let out a tipsy squeal.

"Sereeeeeena!" she shrieked as she pulled her encased hand away and tried to yank her up. "You'll NEVER believe who is here!"

"Who?" Serena asked in curiosity. Was it an old flame? An old boyfriend of Mina's? The teacher Lita had a huge crush on that was borderline obsessive? "Is it Derek?" she tried to deduce, going the route of one of Mina's ex's.

"Who? Oh, Derek. No, not him," she dismissed with a wave before pointing a manicured finger at the doorway. Serena's eyes widened in surprise, her grin stretching wide upon her face in complete and total surprise.

"Excuse me, Sapphire, sorry!" Serena said rushed as she untangled herself from Mina's grasp and made her way to the door. With each step she took to the wide doorframe, her heart was beating faster and faster in total shock and awe.

He held her gaze as she approached him, his arms opening as she began to feel her feet pick up speed and throw herself into him. She buried herself into his chest as he enclosed his arms around her.

He came.

#

Mina watched in satisfaction as Serena redirected herself from the table and into Darien's arms. It took some margaritas and an epic heart-to-heart on the couch of her apartment, but Serena finally understood why she angered Darien enough to hang up on her. Mina even helped coach the perfect apology text to Darien. Clearly, it had worked perfectly.

It had taken many, many years, but Serena finally seemed to be in a good place in her life, both career wise and romantically. Nothing was harder for Mina than watching her best friend suffer at the arms of a pig-headed, under-achieving, masochistic dickhead, and sitting beside said best friend for the better of 45 minutes was his partner-in-crime, Sapphire Laboue.

Sure, Sapphire looked way different than he did in high school. Had his wretched personality from years ago not tainted his overall image, she would even say he looked somewhat cute. It had taken Mina the better of thirty minutes to determine who he was while she watched them on the dance floor, and when she did, she found herself feeling pretty fucking pissed. It brought her back to a time where she found herself taking a backseat in the best friend department, back to when she would be jealous and heartbroken that Serena's time was heavily monopolized by Diamond, Sapphire and Esmeraude. Sure, at 17 she overanalyzed things, but regardless, it brought up old feelings of distain.

After Diamond cheated on Serena, Serena shut down. It was borderline frightening, in fact. Serena warped from a cheerful, trusting girl to a hollow shell, mechanically going from class to class, focusing only on her studies. Having attending the same University, Mina worked damn hard to try and revive her best friend, but she had been scarred badly. Even when Serena began to act more like her normal self, the love-struck side of her was gone.

"So, Mina, how have you been?" Sapphire asked hesitantly, causing Mina to roll her eyes at the formality of it.

"Peachy," she replied. "Listen to me good, Sapphire. Stay away from her."

"What?"

"Stay the hell away from Serena, got it?" she informed him, her baby blues shooting sparks to his widened navy irises.

"First off, what gives you the right to say that to me, and second—"

"No, no," she interrupted with a wave of her index finger. "I have every damn right in the world to keep you and your motives away from her. Do you have any idea how long it took to pick up the pieces of her heart that your buddy carelessly broke? How you guys tried to lure her into that pathetic, underachieving world of yours, pushing her to cut class and not show up to work so you could play fucking video games? That's my right. That's my God damn right, right there," she replied harshly.

"I know Diamond treated her like shit, but-"

"You could be an anointed fucking Saint and I'd still tell you to back the hell off," Mina snapped. She watched with an unwavering glare as he stood up from his seat, their eyes never breaking contact.

"Jesus, you're still the same bitch you were back in high school," he replied dangerously low as he snatched his empty beer bottle off the table. "Seems some things never change."

She profiled him mockingly, her expression impassive as she lifted a hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ears. "And you're still painfully obvious. Still pining after Serena, even though she wants nothing to do with you." Her heart thumped in satisfaction as she watched Sapphire falter. "You really think none of us noticed? God, you're oblivious."

"You don't know shit, Mina," Sapphire countered.

"Don't I?" she inquired, watching Sapphire with hooded eyes. "Why do you think Esmeraude was so clingy when it was the four of you hanging out?"

"You're delusional."

"No, you are. And you're a fool if you think I'm going to let you ruin what she's worked so hard to achieve," Mina snapped. "Now make like an epilogue and end this story, now." Tossing her hair over her shoulder, Mina turned around and crossed the gymnasium dance floor and over to the table where Serena was happily introducing Darien to the guys. A smile of success stretched across Mina's features as Serena sat next to Darien, obviously happy that he had showed up to the reunion, Sapphire completely forgotten. Her eyes darted between the lovely couple and the lone man across the gymnasium, pleased when she watched as he dropped his bottle off at the bar and redirect his attention to other classmates.

"Everything okay, Min?" Mina smiled at the delicious, cool voice belonging to her fiancé.

Giving him a dazzling smile, she nodded vigorously.

"Absolutely. Now, let's dance."

* * *

 _So, when I said 'who will Serena run into at the reunion?' did anyone think Sapphire, or did everyone think Diamond was going to come and cause some havoc XD Hahaha. I thoroughly enjoyed throwing in Mina's POV as well on the situation and her loyalty to her best friend. I hope you guys did, too!_

 _I have another romantic chapter in the works and I'm hoping to get it out on Valentine's Day. What's next for our feisty lovebirds? After all, it is now June, and we all know what important date is at the end of June! Hehe. Stay tuned!_


	14. Chapter 14

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE!

And now, I need to gush. But, it's gushing for a reason.

You guys, your reviews are _truly_ amazing. Not just because it lets me know someone actually reads this, but when you question something, it makes me think "hmmmm." Many of you inquired about from the last chapter about Darien's anger and then suddenly showing up. After thinking more about it, I feel like I left out a conversation in the last chapter that would have answered the thought process behind that decision. As I wrote the original chapter, I thought about how sometimes, people just do things to make their partner happy. But I guess when I made it a big deal in the beginning of the chapter of why he couldn't make it to him suddenly showing up, more needed to be said.

So, because of those questions and that thought process now rolling, it allowed me to punch out an introduction to this chapter that should clear some of that up. So, thank you all for your questioning, and my apologies for not giving you a chapter last round that was 100% complete. I hope this one makes up for it :)

Love,

MU

* * *

Serena stretched out greedily, her floral duvet twisted around her body like a vine after a slumber that was one for the books. Darien had never spent the night before; burrowing into him in her bed certainly made sleeping so much better. He, on the other hand, didn't look quite as well-rested as she did. Propping her head on top of her elevated fist, she lazily smiled at Darien, despite his grumble.

"I took the comforter last night, didn't I?" she questioned, even though she already knew the answer.

He snorted in confirmation. "We both know the answer to that one."

"Hmm," she sluggishly replied, not in the least bit apologetic. "Next time I'll make sure to put an extra blanket on."

He 'hmphed' in reply before they fell into post-wake up mutual silence, allowing their bodies and minds to finally catch up. Darien was the first to move out of the bed, slipping his briefs on to cover his nudity. He shuffled out of the bedroom and what she presumed was the bathroom by the door shutting, before she decided to fall back into her pillow.

She closed her eyes and thought back to the evening prior, mainly how after the reunion ended he actually apologized to her.

He.

Apologized to her.

Her.

It still blew her mind; usually she was the one saying sorry for her verbal vomit.

 _"_ _I owe you an apology," he said as they walked down the sidewalk, the warm, early summer breeze evident in the rustle of the trees._

 _"_ _Huh?" she responded, started by the admission._

 _"_ _Cutting you off like that yesterday. You're right – you did have every right to be disappointed."_

 _"_ _Oh," she replied, still surprised. "I mean, I was, but, I didn't need to drop that snarky 'sorry' line."_

 _He continued. "I've always struggled in this area. Work. Relationships. Honestly, it has been a big problem with women. Hearing how dejected you were, it just brought me back to that place."_

 _Serena stopped walking, her body stiffening. "Are you," she paused, "are you ending things with me?"_

 _Darien shook his head immediately. "No, quite the opposite, actually," he chuckled. "Hearing your disappointment, it brought me to that place, and that's why I just ended the call the way I did. I'm so used to yelling and arguing, I didn't want to do that in front of my colleagues. But when I thought about it further, you were right to feel down."_

 _Serena let out a deep breath and smiled. "Well, I appreciate the apology. I'm starting to realize that if this is going to work, I have to understand that your job is going to cancel some of our plans on occasion."_

 _Darien nodded in agreement. They walked a little bit more before they stopped again when he suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her into him. She looked up at him, startled from the sudden jerk into his arms, but instantly felt herself flush under him with the intensity he was looking at her with._

 _"_ _I just wanted to let you know, I'm not seeing anyone else," he said huskily. "If you can handle that my job has a lot of travel and that there are times I really have to focus on my work, I want to be with you. Just you."_

 _Serena blinked a couple of times, her heart pounding from his confession. "You mean, we're not already serious?" she asked, causing him to falter ever so slightly before regaining his composure._

 _"_ _I'll take that as a yes," he stated before capturing her lips, heated moments of passion building between the couple before separating and clasping hands down the sidewalk and back to her building._

Her mental recap was startled as she watched Darien walk back through the room in just his skin clad, gloriously enhancing black boxer briefs. Her mouth must have been hanging open as she ogled at him, because she suddenly heard him clear his throat.

"Gawking, are we?" he said with a lazy smirk as he began to shuffle on his slacks. She tossed him back a half-smile.

"Yep," she replied as she stretched her arms idly behind her head. A comfortable silence fell between them as she watched him slip his pants up, the cloth gliding up his muscular, tanned legs in a tantalizingly slow fashion. She hummed as she watched him continue to clothe himself, such an innocent act feeling borderline erotic in that moment.

"Are you sure you have to leave?" she asked as she watched him slip his shirt on, his fingers fumbling with the buttons as he continued to cover up his toned chest.

"Unfortunately, yes," he responded as he fixed his collar. "I have a meeting at the office today."

"But it's Sunday!" she whimpered. "Sunday's mean no work."

He chuckled. "Not in my world, babe."

She sighed. "I know."

"Trust me, there's no where else I'd rather be than back in that bed with you," he mused. He leaned over the bed and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Can I come back in it later?"

She nodded. "Text or call me whenever." Her heart melted as he nodded and flashed her his perfect, downright arousing smile before exiting the bedroom. After hearing a brief shuffle of footwear, she heard the door close. She snuggled deeper into her pillow, recalling the conversation about his work and its demands.

After all, her job was pretty sporadic in its hours as well; surely, this would work out no problem.

#

"Ok, Sere, so, here's the plan," Mina eagerly said after a lengthy sip of her bubble tea. "Tier. 10:00. VIP Booth. Tequila. Tube Tops."

"What's with all the 't's'?" Lita asked with an eyebrow raise.

"Come on, just go with it!"

"Mina, if I wear a tube top, I'm going to be popping out all over the dance floor," Lita said as she intentionally rounded her back, her well-endowed chest easily the envy of the three women at the table as they sighed.

"Hrmph," Mina grumbled as she tossed her hair behind her shoulders. "So wear a tanktop. Still a 't.'"

"It would work better if she was turning twenty-two, not twenty-eight," Raye commented with a shrug. "Sorry, Min."

"You guys suck," Mina replied with a sulk. "I thought it was clever!"

"It was!" Serena said with her hands up. "Besides, I don't really know if I want to go clubbing this year." A shudder went up Serena's arms as the three girls at the table stared wildly at her.

"But, you love to go clubbing!" Mina exclaimed with a slam of her hands on the table, the ice in the drinks rattling against the glass from the vibrations.

"I know," Serena said with a shrug, "I dunno."

"Not Darien's scene, huh," Raye knowingly said. Serena shrugged.

"I don't really know. I mean, I did see him that one time we went to Vertex. But, I was thinking maybe more of a big, group dinner somewhere and going out to a lounge or something after? Maybe a big hibachi table?"

The three girls nodded in thought. "Hey, what about Darien's restaurant?" Lita suggested, sparking agreement amongst the other two friends.

"I like that idea," Serena nodded. "Let me see if Darien can reserve us a big table. Can you guys let me if your guys can come?"

The three girls chimed in with head nods and yes's. Smiling, Serena sipped at her tea, a feeling of maturity washing over her. While clubbing and tight clothes were fun, for some reason the idea of grinding and rocking her hips on the dance floor just was not as appealing this year. A part of her knew it was because she wanted to be more a mature woman for herself, but she also knew deep down that a part of it was because she wanted to be more like the women in Darien's societal circle. After attending the ball, she couldn't get out of her mind the way that many of the women carried themselves at the event, so polished and confident.

Surely, they did dinner parties and not clubs for their birthdays, right?

"Chad's in," Raye announced.

"So is Nate," Lita added.

"Damn it, Mally, answer meeeee!" Mina whined.

"Yay!" Serena clapped as she grinned, ignoring Mina's complaining. "This is going to be fun, guys!"

#

"I need to ask you something," Serena said as she plopped herself into Darien's open lap, his newspaper crinkling as her body occupied the vacant space. Darien glared at her over the tops of his glasses, causing her to stifle a giggle.

"Hmm?"

"Can you possibly save a table of 8 at your restaurant on Friday?"

He nodded. "Sure. What's the occasion?"

She grinned widely. "It's my birthday!"

"Ahhh," he replied with a nod. "Well in that case, definitely. What time do you want it for?"

"7:00?" she asked with a shrug. "Obviously that means you'll be there, right?"

He nodded. "Of course." She squealed and gave him a hug, allowing it to linger briefly before slipping off of his lap.

"I'll leave you to your paper," she said with a wink as she shimmied back over to her computer. Her iMessaging window was up, the group chat in full force as she added: _"We're good to go! 7:00, Zwei Towers, 8 people."_

Dings of confirmations and emoji's filled the screen. She grinned; this was going to be an amazing night out!

#

 _Friday Evening_

Standing in front of her mirror, Serena carefully slipped in the posts of the ombre earrings Darien had given her from the ball. They matched her outfit perfectly, comprising of peach, slim fit dress pants, a silky white blouse with bell sleeves, and her hair pulled back into a neat braided bun with a slight voluminous bump at her crown. Her makeup was subtle and complementing, her eyelids dusted in a shimmering pink, along with her cheeks and lips. Just staring at herself she felt more composed and poised, a total opposite from her usual birthday night attire of sexy dresses.

Just as she clasped the second earring's post, the melody of her phone filled the small space of the bedroom. Turning around, she grasped the phone and smiled when she saw that it was Darien calling her. Sliding her finger against the screen, she answered the call.

"Hey! Are you here?"

"Hey," a hushed tone replied. "I need to meet you there."

"Huh?"

"My meeting has run over. I'll meet you there, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," she replied. She could feel her heart start to fall, but quickly recovered as she inhaled a steady breath. "Do you know how much longer you'll be?"

"Not sure," he quickly replied. "See you there." The call disconnected before she could say anything further. She sighed; she had barely heard from him all day, and now he was going to be late?

Letting out a deep, meditated breath, she calmed herself before she could even begin to get herself worked up. "He'll be there," she said to herself. After a reassuring swallow to calm the lump she felt forming in her throat, she grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulders and made her way out of the apartment. As the door clicked behind her, she did a spastic head shake as she realized she now had no way to get downtown. Leaning against her door, she pulled her phone out her purse and dialed up Mina.

"Hey, are you Ubering or driving?"

"Mal's driving. Need a ride?"

"Please, if you haven't already passed by me?"

"Nah, we can swing by. Hey – Mal – turn here, we need to grab Sere," she heard Mina instruct to Mal, who she heard okay the direction change. "We will be there in 5."

"Thank you so much," Serena expressed. "I'll head to the lobby now so I'll see you guys as you pull up."

"Perfect. Hey, wasn't Darien supposed to pick you up?"

"Yeah," she sighed, "but he got held up in a meeting. He should be at the restaurant soon, though."

"Okay, sounds good. See you in a min. Ciao, doll!"

Just as Serena made her way to the main doors of the apartment lobby, she immediately saw Malachite's sleek silver car pull up to the doorway. Grinning, she passed through both apartment and car doors and slipped into the back seat of the sedan.

"Thanks again, guys!" Serena expressed graciously as they merged onto the main road.

"Anytime," Malachite said as he flipped on his turn signal.

Mina turned her head over her shoulder. "So, he's in a meeting you said?"

"Yeah," Serena shrugged. "He said it ran over, but he'll be there as soon as possible."

"I hope so, I'm hungry!" Mina whined, which elicited a disapproving glare from Malachite. "What?" she defensively questioned as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't worry, Mal, I know how Mina's mind operates when she's got food on the brain," Serena interjected quickly. "She's almost worse than me!"

"Hey! I am not!"

"I said almost!"

Malachite laughed. "Nice save, Sere."

"Facts are facts," Serena slyly added, causing Mina to 'hmph' with a mock-pout and Serena to chuckle. "None of that. Come on, it's my birthday!"

"Yes!" Mina cheered, quickly bouncing back. "And we're hitting up where after this dinner party?"

Serena rolled her eyes; Mina clearly still was disappointed about the lack of boozing tonight. "Well, if anyone's up for it-"

"I am."

"-I'm thinking maybe we could just scooch over into the bar area and have a nightcap or something." She was greeted with a brief silence before Malachite replied with a breath of acknowledgement. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just so, adult, I guess?" Mina said with a hint of surprise in her voice. "I'm just so used to you cutting loose on your birthday. I guess we're really all getting older, aren't we?"

Serena shrugged. "Well, in my brand new era of 28, I've decided to move on from those super short pleather shorts and start acting my age."

"Can Min have them, then?" Malachite chimed in, resulting in a smack from both girls. "What'd I say?!" They all laughed as Malachite pulled into the parking garage and parked in the first available spot. As the parties exited the car, Serena let out a soft breath of envy when she looked at Mina's gorgeous outfit. She was rocking one hell of a little black dress, its neckline featuring beautiful scallops as it dipped onto her shoulders, the dress ending mid-thigh and paired with a pair of strappy silk heels. Suddenly, Serena felt very plain, but she quickly shook it off, embracing the mature attitude she had cloaked herself in.

"Shall we?"

#

Ami had outdone herself. Not only did she save them a table, but she had selected a large table that sat in front of the windows. The table was decorated with chrome chargers nestled underneath the china, black and silver cloth, and for extra flare, was adorned with pops of hot pink flowers. A pear and gorgonzola salad was nestled on top of each person's plate and laced with a vinaigrette that simply from inhaling made her mouth water. Raye and Chad were the next couple to arrive, followed by Lita and Nate. The group chatted amongst themselves for about 25 to 30 minutes before Serena started to fumble with her napkin.

"Guys, go ahead and start, really," she insisted again, receiving yet again another round of sympathetic looks. "See, I'll go first." In an overly animated fashion, she picked up her fork and stabbed a piece of arugula, then slowly brought it up to her mouth and popped it in. Her features immediately changed as she began to savor the tarragon vinaigrette, bursting with hints of lemon and a fine malt vinegar. She ignored the chuckles as she completely masticated the small piece of green in her mouth, but, damn, Ami could make one hell of a dressing.

"That good, Sere?"

"Seriously, pretty sure I heard some moaning even from down there."

"Guys, it's. Damn. You got to try it," she insisted as she took a larger portion, grabbing a pear and a piece of cheese in the mix as well.

Sounds of agreement and clanking of cutlery replaced the chatter as everyone began to eat. As Serena munched, she frequently looked over to the doorway anytime she saw a silhouette, but so far no sign of Darien.

"Everything okay?" Ami's gentle voice interrupted her as she stared at a young man in a suit at the podium by the entryway. She turned her head to acknowledge Ami, her warm smile present as she looked knowingly at her. "Darien's held over, isn't he?"

"Ah, yeah," she responded.

Ami nodded. "Yeah, that tends to happen quite a bit, unfortunately. Such terrible circumstances though that it was on your birthday. I do hope he makes it sooner than later."

Serena smiled sadly at the kind words. "Thank you. I hope so, too. Unfortunately, I haven't heard from him in the last hour or so, so I'm sure he's not done yet."

"Do you want me to get you guys something else to hold you over until he arrives?" she asked compassionately. Serena shook her head.

"No, I think we'll just go ahead and order, right guys?" Serena said to the table. She watched as their faces morphed into quizzical, unsure ones.

"You sure?" Raye asked sympathetically.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon," Chad interjected as his finger quickly tapped at his phone. "I've been trying to get a hold of him."

"I'm positive. He can always order something when he gets here. He's the one who is running late after all."

"Okay," everyone agreed softly. Ami waved her hands as one of her staff came by and began to take everyone's orders, Serena being the first party to place hers. As he nodded and moved on, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure he'll be here," Ami said with a smile, warming Serena's heart. She nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah, I'm sure he will be, too."

#

He never came.

At almost 9:30, he never showed. Never text, never called.

Ami went as far as to comp her meal. _"I am so sorry,"_ she had said as she told her about the free dinner, but it didn't settle the disappointment. She understood him being late. She understood that he may have had to miss dinner.

What she could not comprehend, however, was the total lack of respect that he couldn't even send a notice that he couldn't even come at all.

The girls huddled around Serena outside of the restaurant, prodding her with questions and comments of concern.

Frankly, all Serena wanted them to do was just—"STOP."

Hushed voices and wide eyes greeted her, which were slowly starting to get blurry as her eyes watered. She immediately wiped any form of teardrops away.

No, she wouldn't cry for him tonight.

"Just go home," Serena said, "Go home and change. Ladies, we're going to Mints."

"AWWWWW YEAH."

"I had a feeling you were going to say that."

"Yes! That's more like it, Sere!"

"What's Mints?" Serena heard Chad ask one of the guys.

"You don't want to know," Mal groaned as Mina shimmied around him, singing about going to the nightclub.

"Serena, you sure?" Raye asked her as she stepped in front of Mina's happy dance.

"Yeah. Fuck these dress pants and this stupid old lady bullshit bun. I'm busting out those fucking pleather booty shorts. It's my birthday and damn it, I want to have fun!"

"Okay, but, please, not the pleather shorts."

"PLEATHER?! YES! MAL, WHERE'S MY MATCHING CLUB DRESS?!"

"In the trash."

"BUT WHY?!"

"Because that thing ended at your vag!"

"SO?"

"What do you mean, 'so'?!"

"I LOOKED AMAZING IN IT!"

"You looked like you were wearing a garbage bag."

"NO I DIDN'T!"

"All it needed was to say HEFTY across your boobs and you'd really be a walking advertisement."

"HEY!"

"Hefty hefty hefty, whimpy whimpy whimpyyyy!"

"YOU SUCK!"

Everyone chuckled as Mina swatted at Malachite, but Serena's mind and night were officially ready for a 180. As the girls began to discuss changing and meeting up at the male striptease nightclub, Serena felt her heart constrict in an all-too-familiar way.

 _This is why you never start to fall in love, Serena._

 _They always just let you down at the end._

* * *

GUYZZZ DONT HATE MEEEEEE.

In every story comes a turning point. And we have officially taken a right hand turn.

Stay tuned!


	15. Chapter 15

_Happy Monday!_

 _Are there any Gilmore Girls fans here? Because I lovingly dub this piece "Friday Night's Alright for Fighting" after one of my all-time favorite episodes._

 _I think that's all I have to say for an intro, hahaha. Oh! And that I've never included a disclaimer about Sailor Moon not being mine, because it's not. I only own lots of merch because even at ::insert my age here::, I always need merch._

 _Enjoy! (Or hate me today.)_

* * *

There comes a moment in every couple's relationship where there is that one, implosive argument so destructive and detonating, it leaves scars that signal that the honeymoon phase is over. What is most frustrating about it is that It only takes one mistake, one word, or one act before all Hell breaks loose. Apologies or groveling may mend some of the hurt, but it is never quite the same from there. The relationship shifts into the dynamic of one of compromise. And once the relationship boundaries are officially set, things become quite routine. The sex becomes familiar, you learn more about your partner's particulars instead of their passions, you come to crossroads about where to go in the future.

That is, if you are able to make it past your first, true fuck-up.

He blew another frustrated breath into his bangs as he glanced at his phone screen for what felt like the hundredth time in ten minutes. He knew he let her down. Not in a million years did he expect his meeting to run until 10:00 in the evening. He knew that the London-based company was serious about their contract negotiations, but it was seven grueling hours of video conferencing with his team, their team, and their respective attorneys before they were able to hang up. In the end, they settled on an agreement that they would draft up in the morning and reconvene on Monday at six in the morning, but as the time continued to tick, he knew he had a lot of making up to do for missing tonight.

At least, he reconciled, he called her and told her his meeting was running over. From her response, she took the news in stride. However, when he called her a handful of times the moment he was able to with no avail, he was able to get Chad on the phone, who gave him a heads up about what he was about to walk into.

 _"_ _Dude, she was literally looking at the door the entire night. The girls went out to some nightclub called 'Mints.' She's pretty fucking pissed, dude, and I can't say I blame her."_

He sighed as he continued to hold on to the large bouquet of flowers, bouncing the back of his head lightly against the doorframe of her apartment. It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to be there tonight; he did. However, this was one of those times where he really **could not** leave. If he did, he would have been as good as shit-canned; bye-bye, partnership.

The vote by the Board was only a few more months away. While he knew, he was going to get the partnership, if he did anything to jeopardize it in the next couple of months, he could very well be passed over. He already had sacrificed so much to get to where he was; why would he give up now?

He pinched the bridge of his nose; he thought he found someone who understood that. Maybe he didn't after all.

He frowned; the silence and brooding in his thoughts was making him second guess himself and what he was doing here. She already ignored all of his calls and texts. Didn't she claim just days before she would make an effort to at least _understand_? He never once maliciously canceled their plans. Hell, he was even there for her when she was ill and stayed by her side until she was discharged from the hospital. He was there, more times than he ever had been before.

Perhaps, he thought solemnly, she wasn't the person he was supposed to be with after all.

The thought saddened him. He never, ever got this close to feeling like this. Never, ever committed himself to one woman. For fuck's sake, he rearranged his business trip to make it home in time to attend a silly high school reunion. Surely _that_ showed commitment.

Where was _her_ commitment?

Currently, it was at a male strip club. The thought of her throwing money at _male strippers_ shaking their dicks in her face disgusted him enough it caused his nose to wrinkle. He didn't think she was that kind of person. He paused.

Then again, she did wear that extremely skimpy outfit the time he helped her out at that dance club. He saw her grind her hips tantalizingly slow on that douchebag boy who hurt her when she wanted to move away from him. A groan escaped his lips while his mind continued to draw up negative conclusions.

He checked his phone again. 2:15.

He was just about to deposit the flowers at her doorway when he heard a slamming of the door at the opposite end of the stairwell, resulting in him turning to watch her ascend down the hallway.

Truth be told, he instantly assumed that when he saw her come home she would be plastered, hanging all over some friend who was helping her to her doorway. Instead, he watched as she strutted confidently to her doorway, despite being scantily clad in a tube top and insanely short-shorts, her eyes narrowed as she set her sight on him. If she had a drink or two, he never would have guessed.

The way she stared at him, however, he knew he was in for one hell of a fight.

He swore he heard the bell ding in the background.

Round 1: Apologize.

"I've been calling you all night," he said as she closed the space between him. "I had no idea my meeting was going to go so late. I tried calling you the moment I got out."

If she heard him, she made no attempt to acknowledge it. Instead, she slipped her key into the lock of her door and twisted it. In a swift movement, she pushed the door open and walked in, letting it fall behind her. He caught the door and opened it to let himself in, but she was already making her way to her bedroom.

"I know I let you down," he called to her again with sympathy as he deposited the flowers on the door side table. "I'm sorry."

He received a response of a zipper, followed by a thud on the floor, to what he presumed was her taking off her boots.

"Serena, come on," he said as he felt a flash of annoyance summon within. Surely she wasn't _this_ immature?

A scoff. At least it was something.

"I didn't do it on purpose."

Silence.

"Ok, fine. Have it your way." He was just about to turn to leave when he saw her reemerge out of her bedroom, changed into a pair of sweats and an oversized t-shirt, a fiery look in her eye.

"You know," she finally said in a voice that he recalled hearing once before, "I'm a pretty easy-going person. For fuck's sake, my life revolves around shoveling food in my face. So when someone tells me that they'll be _late_ to something that they're supposed to come to with me, it's no big deal."

"So then why are you so pissed?"

"Nuh-uh," she cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Typically, implying you'll be _late_ means you're going to make an effort to arrive. And when said person who says they'll be _late_ cannot come at all, they'll usually let the person in waiting _know_ so they can move on from waiting for them."

"I know-"

She laughed, one he had never heard before; and yet, it was one that was sure she had laughed many times before. "No, Darien, you don't know."

He let out another frustrated sigh. "I don't know what to even say here."

"When you found out you weren't going to be able to make it at all, did you text me?'

"No."

"Call me?"

He sighed. "No."

"Smoke signal?"

"Serena, come on."

"Telegram?"

"Stop."

"I'm not hard to please, Darien."

"Serena, please," he pleaded as he tried to reason with her. As the words fell out of his mouth, he was growing increasingly aware that apologizing was going absolutely nowhere at this point.

"No. No. I understand working long hours. I understand shit coming up. What I can't fucking fathom is the person who supposedly 'cares about you' not bothering to fucking say _anything_ and completely ghost my birthday."

He sighed as he closed his eyes to steady the fight inside him. "I didn't have my phone with me in the meeting," he reasoned. "I couldn't."

She continued; "And you know what, I said I'd work with you on understanding that shit fucking happens every now and again. This has nothing to do with your lack of physical presence. This has _everything_ to do with being God damn disrespected!" she growled. "And that, I do not fucking deserve."

Round 2: Defend Yourself.

"Really?" he asked cool, unable to contain being attacked anymore. She was past reconciliation here. "From where I'm standing, I did everything correctly. I called you the moment I had a chance to tell you that I would be running late. I had no clue how long the meeting would take, and I have repeatedly apologized for that. I also called you the instant I got out of that meeting, but you decided to ignore my fucking phone call."

"I didn't want to talk to you," she said flatly, her arms crossed.

This time, he continued. "You know what else is fucking disrespectful? When your girlfriend decides to dress up like a call girl and go out to a seedy nightclub to get dicks shaken in her face. How's _that_ for being disrespected?"

She scoffed. "Firstly, I can wear whatever I God damn please," she retaliated. "And second, Mints isn't a seedy nightclub and there were _no_ dicks jiggling in my face. They keep their clothing on, thank you very much. Don't lump me in to that kind of group of women who go to nude clubs.

"Call it what you want, Serena. It's no different than if I went to a strip club, but they kept their panties on. I'm pretty sure you'd be throwing a similar bitch-fit if I did."

He watched as she bit her lip. He smirked; she couldn't even deny that one.

"So explain to me what I did wrong here? Because from where I'm standing, coming straight from work and standing outside your damn apartment the last few hours, I did _nothing_ wrong."

She shook her head, as if she couldn't believe his defense. "Are you serious?"

His eyes widened in response to her audacity. "No, I'm asking for the sake of my health. Tell me, Serena, is the person who was standing outside your doorway for hours wrong, or is the person who just quickly did a 180 and went out to a fucking strip club the person who is wrong in this argument?"

Round 3: Burnout

"You know what, if you had bothered to let me know that you were going to be missing dinner completely when you called me all hush-hush, I wouldn't have gone there!"

"What are you talking about? I called you the moment I got into my office at literally a minute after ten!"

"You still could have at _least_ text me that you weren't coming."

"I DID NOT HAVE MY PHONE ON ME."

"Who the fuck doesn't have their phone on them?!"

"Me, when I'm in corporate negotiations with the fucking United Kingdom, on their time!"

"Why the fuck wouldn't you have taken vacation time that night if you knew you had something going on? Block your calendar off? Why the hell would you take a meeting so close to a time you're supposed to be at an event?"

"Because I had to take that meeting."

"At that time?"

"Yes!"

"Did you bother trying to do it earlier or on another date?"

"That's when the client wanted to meet; I'm not up for negotiating that."

"Bullshit. You could have asked them to meet with you on Monday."

"Obviously, you don't fucking get it. It's a multi-billion global company that I am trying to hammer out the fine fucking print with. I don't _have_ until Monday to wait to secure a transaction of that size. It needed to be done then. On their time."

"If you had just blocked out that time on your calendar –"

"It wouldn't have fucking mattered, they would have called me and I would have left to go to the meeting instead!"

"So, what you're saying is, no matter what, you would have went."

"Yes."

She threw her hands up. "Of course you would."

"This is my job, Serena. This is my fucking livelihood you are attacking here. I have worked my ass off to be where I am now. I have sacrificed hours, sleep, relationships, family to get to be here. I am three months away from the Board voting me into their partnership, and I will be damned if I have you question the integrity and my ethics to my dedication and responsibility to my work. Sorry I don't sit around on my ass shoveling food in my mouth and blogging about it. I am taking care of corporations, stock holders, and every fucking thing in between!"

He felt his breathing begin to slow down as silence fell between the two of them. They continued to stare at one another for another moment, but she was the first to break their eye contact, just as he noticed the tears starting to glisten at her eyes.

He squeezed his eyes shut as he realized what had slipped out of his mouth. So, it came as no surprise when he heard her finally tell him what he expected.

"Get out."

It was a whisper, but it felt like a dagger slicing right threw him.

And this time, he had no one to blame but himself.

He didn't bother trying to apologize this time. Instead, he breezed right by her and out the door, closing it softly behind him. He lowered his head in regret as the words replayed in his head.

 _Sorry I don't sit around on my ass shoveling food in my mouth and blogging about it._

 _Sit on my ass._

 _Shoveling food._

 _Blogging about it._

He stared numbly at the ground as he heard her begin to cry behind the door. He closed his eyes and counted backwards from ten, listening to her sobs, trying to decide if he wanted to go in and fix this mess.

Nevertheless, as much as he wanted to rip it open and apologize, tell her he did not mean it, he could not find the energy to do so.

He tried. He really did.

Why she could not see that, he would never comprehend.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he turned to walk toward the stairwell, words of truth ringing in his mind.

She didn't understand his world.

And from what he just said to her, he didn't understand hers as well.

#

She buried her head further into her pillow, unwilling or wanting to see the sunlight that morning. The words still stinging from their argument to the point she barely slept last night. They pierced like burning mandala, ripping into her soul. Is that all he thought of her? A dweeb who sat around heaping food in her mouth and writing about it? Did he always think of her so childish?

She curled her knees into her stomach and lifted the covers over her head; the whole argument was painful. Every word. She knew halfway through the argument that she was wrong, so very wrong to get so worked up, but there was no turning back. He had hurt her, and she wanted to make it known he hurt her. Even if his reasoning made sense, even if he waited outside her door for hours, he still hurt her. He wasn't there.

Tears slipped out as she repeated the phrase again; no matter how logical it was, he wasn't there.

Just like Diamond on her eighteenth birthday.

She was all dressed up, ready for a night out with him, her first true night as an adult. And what did he do? He left her sitting on her couch all night, dressed up in an outfit she had saved all her money for and dieted hardcore to fit in to, while he got high in his buddy's garage and didn't show up until 1:00.

He showed up with flowers. He apologized, said he didn't mean it. And while it hurt so much he wasn't there, she _forgave_ him. Instantly. The next day he took her to make up for it, and she let herself believe that everything was okay. It was just a slip. He wouldn't do it again.

But then he did it again.

And again.

And again.

She let out a deep sob, her heart clenching as she recalled Darien's words again, repeating them over and over again. Did he ever take her seriously? Clearly, he thought of her the same way that his societal circle did; just another person a part of a dying breed. Maybe, she just wasn't ready to be in a relationship. Clearly she wasn't able to handle disappointment, let alone backing down from an argument with him.

But after all was said and done, he uttered words that wouldn't be so easy to forget.

Clearly, he didn't understand her world.

And it was becoming painfully obvious she didn't belong with his.

* * *

 _FIN._

 _I'M JUST KIDDING! I still have a handful of chapters to go before I wrap this story up. I hope you guys enjoyed the ... writing, because no one likes an argument between our favorite couples. And while I firmly believe Darien's reasoning is 100% legit, when you have an ugly backstory of heartache, I think it can magnify your disappointment tenfold. Plus, I know I've been in an argument where I'm so far beyond admitting being wrong that it's gone further south than needed... and that's exactly what she did._

 _But sometimes when those things happen, we learn from them! The question is: can they? _

_See you soon!_


	16. Chapter 16

_Happy March 1st, everyone! Did you know today is International Pig Day!? Just in case you were wondering, hahaha_

 _How about the fact that after this chapter, there are only going to be TWO more left? I'm so excited to be reaching the conclusion of this story, but also sad, as this has been such a joy to write._

 _I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. As always, please let me know if you catch any grammatical / storyline errors, as I typically can only write when I'm at work, and that means on my breaks._

 _Happy reading!_

 _Love, MU_

* * *

 _Two Weeks Later_

"Serena?" a voice interrupted her focus as she looked up from her magazine, a familiar pair of blue eyes looking down at her in genuine kindness. "I didn't know you came here."

She answered with a smile before folding the corner of her paper as to not lose her spot. "I just recently discovered it," she replied as she closed the magazine. "Care to join me?"

"Sure," he accepted as he pulled out the chair, the metal grinding against the grooves of the patio stones before sitting down. "How is everything going?"

A tight smile stretched across her face. "It's alright. Work is picking up, summer is here, so I can't complain too much. What about you?"

"Same here," he replied as he picked up his coffee cup. "No complaints, though. Steady work keeps me employed, after all."

She chuckled. "Yes, agreed. Oh, by the way, I'm sorry I didn't catch you to say goodbye at the reunion."

Sapphire shook his head. "Don't even worry about it. You looked very happy that your boyfriend showed up."

A ghost of a smile creeped on her face, but it quickly fell, as did her eyes. Sapphire was quick to notice. "Oh, shit, did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing like that. We're not really seeing each other right now," she said with a disheartened shrug.

"I'm sorry," he responded sympathetically.

She shrugged, trying to act nonchalant about it. Truth be told, however, she felt like someone had sucked the fire out of her. Finding joy in the smallest activities was nearly impossible; even eating was disconnected and borderline unenjoyable. The most she did was sip fruitful smoothies, which kept her to the point of feeling somewhat full. She sighed as she wrapped her hands around her current meal, a mango-orange smoothie. "It is what it is," she eventually said.

A moment passed by when Sapphire snapped his fingers. "I have just the thing to cheer you up," he exclaimed. "I'm having a barbeque over at my place on Saturday. Why don't you come by?"

Serena hesitated; while she knew the old Sapphire, she certainly didn't know anything about the current one. He must have sensed her hesitation, because he was quick to add: "you can bring a friend if you'd like."

After taking another brief moment to think, she finally nodded her head. "Yeah, sure, that sounds like a blast. Can I bring anything?"

"BYOB, really. It's a backyard bar-be-que that my roommate and I are jointly throwing, so be prepared to enjoy some seriously good beer-can chicken. I promise, it's amazing. My roommate is a pretty good cook."

Serena laughed for what felt like the first time in ages. "Well, you know me, if there's food you can't stop me."

He tossed her a genuine smile. "Good. What's your number; I'll text you my address." Taking his phone, she plugged in her number into his contacts, and after a brief moment, he was standing up to bid his goodbye. "I'm glad you're coming. See you then!" he said with a wave as he walked off towards downtown.

Cupping her smoothie again, she nodded in acknowledgement that getting out was probably a good idea. She had moped plenty the last two weeks, going through her grievances in stride. Darien had called her a handful of times, but never left a voice message. He had also text her a couple of times, but after refusing to answer them, they stopped as well. Taking another sip of her drink, she swallowed the feeling of longing for him deep in her stomach as she tried to think towards Saturday instead.

Perhaps getting out would mean she's reaching the last one of the steps: moving on.

#

"Explain why you're bringing me to this thing again?" Raye asked as she stared at her blood-red fingernails with boredom as they approached the small house. "House parties are more Mina or Lita's thing."

"Because you're the most level-headed friend who will keep me from doing anything I'd probably regret," Serena shrugged. "After all, I'm on the rebound here, and you know what I do when I'm on the rebound."

Raye rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile. "Obnoxiously flirt with all the single men and then turn them all away when they try to advance on you?"

"Yup! And I'm really not in the mood to be post-breakup Serena tonight. I'd like to be fun Serena. Plus, it's in front of Sapphire, so, I don't want to make a total slut of myself."

"And you care what he thinks because…?"

Serena shrugged. "He was a good friend back in the day, nothing more."

"Uh huh," Raye replied despondently, which Serena picked up on.

"I know you guys weren't his biggest fan, but he's changed," Serena urged as she knocked on the door while cradling a six-pack of lime-flavored light beer. The door quickly threw open with a roar, the girls greeted with by a large crowd of unfamiliar faces having what seemed to be one hell of a good time.

"You so sure about that?" Raye asked as they made their way inside, people happily drinking all around them, to which Serena shrugged.

"Guess we'll find out. Hey, Sapphire!" Serena waved over to him, who was in the corner donning a muscle tee and cargo shorts. He shot up an arm and signaled for them to come over, which they did. "Wow! What a crowd!" she said as they approached him.

"Yeah, my roommate invited quite a bit of people. But, hey, the more the merrier!" he loudly stated over the crowd noise. "Ok, so, keg is in the backyard along with beer pong and I think flip cup, people are playing King's at the kitchen table, there's all sorts of barbeque over in the kitchen, and yeah," Sapphire instructed as he pointed his finger in the respective event's direction. "You guys ever play flip cup?"

Serena mock-scoffed. "Have we ever played flip cup? I'll have you know that Raye is a master at flip cup."

Sapphire raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Really?"

Once uninterested but now challenged, Serena smirked as Raye nodded in confirmation. "Indeed."

"No shit," Sapphire responded with surprise etched in his words. "Well, come on then!" He led the girls into the back yard, where more partygoers clad in comfortable clothing and accessorized with various beer bottle brands stood around randomly placed tables. Sapphire worked his way to one table off to the side of the yard where it looked like a group was wrapping up a game of beer pong.

"Anyone up for flip cup once this game wraps up?" he called out to the viewers, who chimed in enthusiastically with responses of yes. "Awesome. Hurry up, Jed!"

"Just gotta sink this shot," a clean-cut, blonde haired guy muttered as he lined himself up with the lone solo cup at the opposite end of the table. He extended his arm to make sure he positioned himself perfectly for his shot. With a swing of his forearm, the ping-pong ball glided through the air and dropped quietly in the cup, causing a hoot from the victor. "Drink up, Rube!" he commanded to the loser as he lifted his arms in victory.

"Jadeite?" Serena turned her head to the side to see that Raye called out to the winner of the drinking game.

"You know him?" Serena asked as the blonde, now known as Jadeite, began to approach her.

"Yeah, we work together," she answered with a smile as he arrived.

"Hey, Raye," Jadeite said as he downed the remaining contents of his drink. "Not quite our usual scene, huh?"

Raye laughed. "No, it's not. This is my friend, Serena," she added before continuing. "How do you know Sapphire?"

"We worked together at Game Stop back in the day. Kept in touch throughout the years. What about you?"

"We went to high school together, actually," Raye commented.

"Hah," he laughed. "Small world."

"Indeed," Raye agreed, but redirected her attention when Sapphire corralled the remaining group of players for their drinking game. The group split up into teams of five before lining up along the plastic table, a small ounce of alcohol in each participant's cup in front of them.

"Okay, anyone not play before?" Sapphire asked, electing a negative response from a petite, young blonde in leggings and a crop top. "So, the object of the game is to shoot your drink back, then you need to bring your cup to the edge of the table and with one hand, try to flip it 180 degrees so it lands top-down. The first team to get each of their cups flipped over is the victor. Ready?"

"Yeah!" everyone cried out, the spirit of competition flooding through them as Sapphire and Jadeite did a down-tap-down movement before simultaneously shooting their drinks back. Everyone laughed as both players struggled to flip their cups over, only to brace him or herself when it was their turn. When Serena and Raye were up against one another, Raye flawlessly shot her drink back and only needed one attempt to flip her cup. She gave a smug smile over to Sapphire, who stared at her impressed. Serena, on the other hand, took quite a few tries until she got hers appropriately flipped over as the game continued.

Ultimately, Serena's team lost, but everyone was quick to nod in agreement to play another round. After playing a handful of rounds, the girls excused themselves and made their way to the food, mingling with a few other partygoers who were colleagues of Sapphire. Serena sipped at her Sangria, a lethal yet delicious combination that Sapphire's sister apparently made, the tipsy feeling resulting in her being more conversational than usual.

"No, let me tell you," Serena insisted at a high decibel to a girl named Lizzie, "corn tortillas are WAY better than flour tortillas when it comes to tacos. Cuz corn, just tastes, ya know, so much more authentic, right!?" Serena stammered as she stated her case.

"But, they only include the flour ones in the taco boxes!" Lizzie countered.

"I know, I know, but, you got to go to the international aisle. I promise it's going to change your life!"

As she continued to ramble on, Serena couldn't help but take a moment to realize how _good_ it felt being out and not pouting at home. She would certainly have to thank Sapphire for inviting her.

She looked over to Raye, who was filling up her empty cup from the keg while talking to Jadeite in ease. Raye was pretty reluctant to come initially, making Serena was selfishly glad that Raye had found a colleague to converse with that made her want to stay and have fun. She was about to turn around and walk to them when she bumped into a hard chest.

"Oh! Sorry!" she giggled as Sapphire grasped her shoulders, attempting to rebalance her.

"Oh, shit, you had some of Katzy's punch, didn't you?" he asked knowingly, Serena drunkingly nodding.

"Yes, and oh my god, this shit is delish," she declared. "I've had, like, 4 cups?" she said with a sloppy count of her fingers.

"Um, you might want to drink some water," Sapphire said with concern. "That stuff has a ton of rum in it."

Serena pouted. "Yeah, yeah," she dismissed. "But I gotta pee. Where's the restroom?"

He pointed inside. "Second door in the hallway from the kitchen."

She nodded. "Thanks!" she called out as she made her way across the yard and into the house, her mission activated: find bathroom.

#

Raye continued to sip at her drink while she watched Serena blab on about something peppy to the poor unsuspecting unknown girl. She could tell Serena was getting pretty wasted, but she let her do her thing as she nursed her beer. It was nice seeing Serena cut a little loose tonight, and despite Sapphire being the one to provide the means, Raye had to admit it was fun time.

Jadeite was also much more interesting than she could recall from their dinner they had a few months ago. It was nice seeing a more laid-back side to the usually very firm and professional demeanor he exhibited at the office. She chuckled to herself as Serena continued to describe with great animation something to the poor girl, who was laughing in response to her.

However, Raye had noticed that Serena was not her usual overly flirty self tonight. A few guys had come up to her and tried to talk to her, and while she was polite, she didn't try out her usual banter. It was painfully obvious that Sapphire was trying to get her attention as well, but Serena still treated him no different from any other person. Truthfully, it completely surprised Raye, as Serena's usual mending after a breakup was to move on quickly. Perhaps Darien means more to her than Serena was letting show.

It didn't come as too much of a surprise when Serena announced they had broken up, given their arguing. What was different from the more recent string of breakups, however, was how shaken she was by it.

 _"_ _It's clear I'm just a child to him,"_ Serena had spoken. _"He doesn't respect my career, and that is the one thing I know in this world that I'm damn good at."_

Raye had to agree with Serena on that; what he said definitely was unsupportive.

 _"_ _I know I was wrong to attack him like that, but it just hurt so damn much because of that shit Diamond pulled on me."_

Never had Serena said out loud the underlying reason as to why she pushed people away. It was always 'he was too boring,' 'he had no direction,' 'he only cares about himself.' Prior to this, Raye couldn't recall a time when Serena actually admitted as to why her relationships usually imploded. When Raye asked Serena if Darien ever knew about Diamond, Serena shook her head.

 _"_ _It's in the past, and I'd like it to stay there."_

Raye had let it go then, but she couldn't help but wonder; what if Darien had known? He came off as pretty intellectual and keen on his observations; perhaps had he known that Serena had gone through such a traumatic breakup that he would have been more understanding as to the intense reaction Serena had over the disappointing news.

Raye looked back over to the area Serena had once occupied and noticed she had moved on elsewhere. Taking a quick look at her watch, she pulled out her cell phone and politely excused herself from Jadeite to call Chad. It was well past 11 at this point, and he had kindly offered to give them a ride home.

"Yup, I think we will be ready to go in about 15 minutes or so. I just need to go find Serena, she wandered off somewhere," she spoke into the phone after Chad answered asking if they were wrapping up.

"Sounds good," he had replied, commotion in the background announcing an arrival of food.

"Are you still out with Darien?"

"Yeah, but no worries, I'll settle the bill now."

"No, it's okay, finish up with him and then let me know when you're on your way, okay?" Raye offered.

"You sure? We literally just got our food is all," he lamented.

"Honestly, I don't mind," Raye replied. "I'll see you in a bit?"

"You got it." As they disconnected, Raye started to feel a warm, happy feeling when she thought about Chad's sincerity, but it didn't last very long. A flash of pale, blonde hair redirected her attention to the doorway. She looked over to see a tall, lanky man walk through the doorframe, but she shook her head, quickly dismissing her thought.

She resumed conversation with Jadeite, talking with him and another female about their favorite hot springs destination, but the vision nagged at her. Who did she see walk in to the house just moments before?

They continued to talk while she sipped at her drink, but she couldn't stop thinking about who she saw. When she started to realizing she was completely ignoring whatever the group was saying, she excused herself. "Hey, hold on one sec," she kindly said to the group before she made her way over to Sapphire.

"What's up?" he responded as soon as she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Have you seen Serena?" she asked first, noting that it had been about fifteen minutes since she last saw her.

He shook his head in response. "Not since she stumbled off to the bathroom about ten minutes ago, but I'm sure there's a line."

"Okay," Raye responded unsurely. It was awkward, but she had to ask. "Um, you're not still friends with Diamond, are you?"

"No, I haven't seen him in years," he responded, his face perplexed. "Why?"

"I swear I just saw him," she said as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Nah, I'm sure you're seeing things. I didn't invite him," Sapphire stated. After a moment passed and he took a sip of his drink, his eyes started shifting in thought.

"What?" Raye asked, noticing the tension shift.

"I don't think it's anything, but, I did put a status and a few pics up not too long ago telling friends to get down here. I think we're still friends on Facebook."

"You don't think he'd come, do you?" she asked, but she knew better. Suddenly dread creeped over her, and from his facial expression, him as well. They both knew what lengths Diamond would go to try and approach her.

"Fuck," he spat as he made his way to the house, Raye following closely behind. "Yes, I absolutely do. I think you and Serena were in one of the photos I posted."

"Shit!" Raye said as she walked quicker. "This isn't good."

"No shit!" he agreed as he worked his way into the house, the two of them looking around the kitchen and the living room amongst the crowds. Raye went out the front door and looked at the few people hanging out on the doorstep, then back into the house where she went out to the side porch. Still no sign of Serena.

"Shit!" she cried out as she dialed her cell phone number in the middle of the living room, hoping to hear the distinct melody somewhere to give her a direction as to where she could be. Raye stood there as her phone rang and rang, but ultimately there was no answer, nor did she hear it ring anywhere amongst the crowd.

In haste, she dialed Chad's number, asking them to come now, while she resumed her search for her friend.

After what he did to Serena when she finally left him for good, there was no telling what he could do now.

#

As Serena worked her way into the house, she took notice of a group of people talking and dancing along with some remixed music that had was playing loudly over the speaker. Perhaps after peeing, she could join them and work off some of the booze, she thought happily. She moved on and into the hallway, only to find a line of people standing outside the bathroom.

"Ugh," she muttered, the protesting from her bladder becoming increasingly alarming. Not willing to wait, she moved away from the door and found a stairwell leading up to where she assumed another bathroom may be. Shrugging and deciding 'why not,' she slowly walked up the stairwell, her eyes roaming the area until she located a door that was shut, but the distinguished noise of a flush signaled victory. She grinned as she stood outside the door to wait her turn, but her grin quickly replaced with to one of panic as the door flew open.

"Serena," Diamond said chillingly as he let the door fall softly behind him as she started to back away. "Funny running into you here."


	17. Chapter 17

Wow... two weeks! Two weeks I worked on this one chapter, making sure it conveyed the emotions I wanted to get across. It got to a point that before I fell asleep, I would think about how to work out a sentence, or a dialogue, and especially some of the encounters. It was **intense** , but here it is!

Also, DISCLAIMER: I am REALLY pushing the boundaries of T here. There is nothing graphic, so I think I am safe, but there is a ... situation... or two. So, fair warning as you proceed. I might even upgrade it to 'M,' but I think that might be a little too strong of a rating. Decisions, decisions!

Of course, another round of thank you's to my readers... while the response has been heartwarming, discovering a community of you on Tumblr and connecting outside of fanfiction has been an exciting voyage! For those of you on tumblr, I'd love to follow you! I post TONS of Sailor Moon and randomness, so I promise I'm not a boring follow (the link is in my bio)!

Happy reading!

Love, MU

PS: I apologize for my use of italics in the beginning. Past / present bridge, FYI

* * *

 _The wind was cool on her bare arms, but she didn't care. Her head between her knees, she continued to cry, her heart wrenching in pain with each sob. Just the thought of someone else carrying his baby was crippling._

 _"_ _Always fucking crying." Lifting her tear-stained face, she looked up to see Diamond hovering above her with a sneer on his face. "And in public. Always fucking crying."_

 _It hurt to look at him. As she watched as his hair blow in the wind while he hovered above her, all she could think about was how those same features lingered over someone else. "Get the hell away from me," she eventually mustered. Unable to save face, she tore her glare away from him._

 _He laughed as he shook his head. "You're something else, you know that?"_

 _That took her aback, stunning her sniffles away. "I'm something else?" she repeated. "Me?" She stood up slowly, careful not to look directly at him. She knew if she looked at him, it would be a matter of minutes before she would waiver under his influence. "You, you, you cheated on me! How on earth am I the one who is some—"_

 _First came flash of a bright, white light, but the pain was there just as fast. Her eyes began to water, albeit a different reason, yet the source still the same. Serena cupped her cheek as she gaped at him, the shock splashed as quickly as the handprint forming on her cheek._

 _"_ _Don't fucking hit me again, bitch," he threatened as he stepped in closer. She shuddered; who was this guy standing in front of her? She didn't recognize him at all. The cold stare, the pure hatred seeping out of him._

 _"_ _You're crazy," she whispered, but it was loud enough for him to react. His hand thrusted forward, his once delicate and tender fingers closing around her neck. She felt the steel beam of the bus stop press against her spine, the only thing keeping her upright. He stepped in closer, his eyes filled with misplaced rage. He pressed his nose against hers, unmoving, as she squirmed underneath his strength._

 _"_ _You are worthless, you controlling, tiresome, suffocating bitch," he hissed as she began to claw at his arm, her breathing labored as he continued to press her against the beam. "You will never, ever be worth anything. Not to me, not to the world, not to anyone." He released his hand, her body dropping to the ground as she took in a giant gasp for air, coughing wildly as she tried to intake as much oxygen as she could._

 _As she panted, through blurry eyes she watched as he walked back toward his home, hands in his pocket, as if nothing ever happened. She touched her neck as she bit her lip, the fear paralyzing her tears as she scrambled to her feet._

 _The bus came shortly thereafter, a beacon of LED lights as the doors opened. Taking a shaky step, she entered, only to hear a gasp as she dropped her coins in the machine._

 _"_ _Honey, what happened to you?" the driver cried out during her profiling, resulting in Serena to wince._

 _"_ _Nothing," she replied hoarsely. Dejected, she walked to a vacant seat, ignoring the bus driver's questioning. Placing her forehead against the windowpane, she stared ahead, unfocused as she tried to process the last forty-five minutes. The tears came, but the sobs remained internally, as his words continued to ring in her ears._

 _Controlling. Suffocating. Pathetic._

 _Yet, hearing "I'm going to be a dad" was the one that still hurt worst of all._

Such a similar feeling, Serena resolved, as her mind flashed her back to the most terrifying moment in her life. She swallowed hard against his hand, clamped against her mouth while he pressed her up against the bathroom door. "Takin' a shit," he said in a disguised voice to the persistent knocking, her eyes widening in terror when she heard the party nosily walk away. She could hear her name bouncing above the crowd noise, as well as feel the persistent vibration of her phone in her purse.

Her eyes began to water once he pressed his forehead against her, beaded with cool sweat. He stared wildly at her, the once beautiful color now bloodshot and sunken. On the sink she saw the needle and the spoon carelessly forgotten, confirming her fears.

He was high.

"So beautiful," he murmured against her as his fingers fiddled with the hem of her dress. "Even after all this time you're still so fucking hot." Her body convulsed when she felt his kiss against her neck, tears falling as he nipped at the crook. She struggled against him, refusing to be part of any sick charade, only to feel him press his hand harder against her mouth.

"Don't you fucking move," he hissed as she felt her head bounce off the door, fear paralyzing her once again. He lifted his index finger to her, pointing with authority, his stare cold. "You fucking bitch," he groaned. "My kisses no good anymore?" Disgusted, Serena mustered up every bit of hate she could into a challenging stare, but it yielded a different response.

"Oh, I see," he self-deducted, eliciting a sudden slap across her face. "You think the guy you've been fucking is better me, don't ya?!" he growled, the space between the doorframe and Diamond nonexistent as he pressed his full weight into her.

Her eyes squeezed shut, she found herself praying.

 _Someone, anyone._

 _I need you._

#

Chad hardly seemed to care when he pulled out in front of a minivan, provoking a horn blaring from the wronged vehicle. "Dude, slow down!" Darien insisted as he grabbed on to the doorframe.

"We need to get there, now," Chad reaffirmed. All Darien knew was that Raye had called to pick her and Serena up. Originally, he had planned to take an Uber home as to not make it awkward. That changed quickly when Chad practically pushed him out of the restaurant, ordering him to get in.

"What the hell is going on? Darien asked, still in the dark.

"Raye said that Serena's ex from high school is there," Chad briefly stated, as if that were to explain it all.

"Okay? How is that a reason to almost get us killed?"

Chad raised an eyebrow at Darien before focusing back on the road. "You know, her high school boyfriend? The one who has issues."

"What are you talking about?"

"Her ex from high school and college?" When he saw his blank stare, Chad cursed. "Shit, how do I know this and not you? Didn't you guys go through the roster?"

"The what?"

"The roster! Who you've dated, slept with, etcetera."

Darien rolled his eyes. "What are we, in college? No, we didn't."

"You're telling me she doesn't know about Nehl?" Silence greeted him. "Shit, Darien, how did you not tell her about Nehl?"

"Because it's not important."

"Bullshit! That relationship single-handedly defined the way that you date women."

Darien pressed his mouth into a thin line. "What's this about her ex? And how the hell do you know about him?"

Chad sighed. "After you guys had your pissing match in front of us that one night, we got to talking about you. It was a good bridge to recover that night, let me tell you. Anyway, Raye told me she dated this douchebag throughout high school and into her University years who was an absolute waste of life. Cheated on her, belittled her, that kind of shit."

"Shit," Darien repeated.

"From what Raye mentioned, too," Chad added, "is that he knocked up some girl. I mean, shit, it's one thing to be cheated on, but to find out like that? Man; I can't imagine how much that had to hurt."

"Yeah," Darien responded slowly. "Damn."

"To top it all off," Chad said with a shake of his head, "when she found out, he got physical."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

Chad shook his head. "I guess he tries to reach out to her from time to time. She wants nothing to do with him, but I guess it took a while for her to rebound from that."

"I can understand why," he said.

"Yeah, I'm sure you can," Chad replied knowingly, causing Darien to flinch. Silence replaced conversation as the music on the radio filled the cabin, but his mind wandered back to the dorms of yesteryears. Darien grimaced as he recalled the state of mind he dealt with after he pounded on Nehelania's door. He finally found the words of love he couldn't say to her earlier. It took some digging deep into his core, but once he said them aloud, he was shouting them to whoever would hear.

What shocked him, though, was that she turned him away.

Not just any rejection. She turned him away with tears in her eyes, her bedsheet draping her body, her lover in clear view on the bed.

He walked away while she cried out for him. After that, he vowed he would never, ever fall for someone like that again; only casual encounters. No feelings involved aside for fleeting moments of pleasure.

It had worked thus far, until he met Serena.

Her fiery passion for life, her witty banter, her smart mouth and seductive touch. She poured color into the monotony of his black and white contractual life, the first person who made him feel truly alive.

And he fucked it all up because he couldn't see it. That she truly was the same as him: emotionally scarred. Damaged. Unable to fully compromise and absorb those feelings.

How could he be so oblivious? Her first defense was always to fight, just as it was his. Their arguments were so explosive, like fire and oil, that when they detonated, it was destructible. Yet, they had always found their way back to one another, and in the moments of allowing themselves to care for each other, it was powerful.

He couldn't lose her.

He wouldn't.

The car slowed in front of a small house, a large group of people hanging out on the front stoop with red cups in their hands. "Is this the place?" Darien asked as he looked over the house.

"Yeah," Chad nodded as he pulled up slightly, finding a spot on the side of the road. Once parked, both men got out of the car, Raye approaching them immediately.

"I can't find her," she stressed tearfully, the usually reserved woman doused in fear. "She's not answering her cell and she's nowhere to be found. Sapphire's on the hunt, too, but Chad, I'm scared."

Darien was quick to move, his legs crossing in large strides as he made his way into the house. He didn't care if they weren't speaking, or if when found she didn't want to see him. He just needed to know she was okay.

He looked upstairs immediately, three closed doors catching his eye. He went to ascend the stairwell, throwing open the first door he approached without a care. He was met with an unmade bed, yet no parties. Next, he went to the middle door, twisting at what was a locked doorknob. He knocked on the door and received a comment about some guy taking a shit, his nose wrinkling at the informality of the expression. Lastly he threw open the final door, the result the same.

#

"You think," he seethed as he cupped her chin, "that because you write in a magazine you're better than me?" She stretched her neck as high as she could, if only to be a mere millimeters away from his hot, putrid breath. "Remember how good I used to make you feel?" he groaned into her ear. "How I used to take my fingers and-"

She drowned his voice out, ignoring whatever disgusting sentence he was trying to mutter. At this point, she didn't care any longer. If she didn't at least attempt to defend herself, he wouldn't stop. He would put her hands on her, everywhere.

If she didn't try, she would never forgive herself.

She waited until she found the right opportunity, feel himself shift some amount of weight off her.

His fingers moved onto her thigh, sliding up her leg slowly as he pulled her chin closer to his lips. She tightened her jaw, hoping the resistance would make the move a more difficult task. He removed his hand from her chin and slammed it against the door behind her, about to say, yell, or do something next.

 _Now._

"No!" she cried as she drove her knee into his balls. He stumbled back a few steps before topping onto the floor, grabbing at his crotch in pain. Knowing better than to watch, she turned around, twisted the lock and swung the door open. She could hear him groaning in the bathroom, but she focused on getting to the stairwell as quick as her legs would go. Holding on to the rail for support, she turned and began to run down the stairs.

Blue met blue.

The fighting, the words, the anger, the sorrow; none of it mattered. "Darien," she cried out as she ran into his chest, burrowing herself in his familiar scent as he wrapped his arm around her. As he held on to her, she could feel his muscles flex as if to protectively keep her against his frame.

How he was here, or how he knew she was in trouble, she would find out later.

She buried deeper into his chest as he stroked her hair, the tears staining his white shirt as she cried.

Just minutes ago, she had never felt so terrified.

Now, never had she felt so safe.

#

Standing outside the house, Serena finished her recall of the transpiring events to the officer. She was reluctant to press charges, but everyone was beyond furious. Even Sapphire, once Diamond's biggest supporter, was disgusted in him. In fact, he needed to be restrained when he confronted Diamond in the bathroom.

In fact, it had taken multiple different people to restrain the fury flying between Raye, Darien, and Sapphire; especially Raye, her heel digging in his chest, pressing him against the floor as she spewed colorful statements full of angst and hate.

Between the physical altercation, attempted sexual assault, drug paraphernalia, and multiple witness statements, police had more than enough to arrest Diamond. There would be more discussions the next day, but for now, she was safe.

Once the officer moved on from her, she looked back over to her group of friends over by the house, talking amongst themselves. Raye's fingers were stretched out, and Serena could practically hear Raye reassure everyone she was calm. Chad was rubbing at her shoulders, trying to reduce her stress and simultaneously calm her down. Sapphire was shaking his head at the whole thing, his hand cupping his chin as he watched friends and acquaintances understandably disperse from his house.

And Darien. He stood in the group, his mouth pressed firmly as he remained stoic. His hands tucked deep in his pocket, she could tell he was out of place, yet not sure if he should stay or leave.

As she thanked the officer, who was scribbling the last of their notes before walking away, she made her way back over to the group.

"You ready to head home?" Raye asked Serena, who nodded vigorously.

"Yeah," Serena responded. Turning towards Sapphire, she gave a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry about your party."

Sapphire shook his head. "Don't be. I'm so, so sorry about Diamond showing up like that. I feel terrible."

Serena shook her head. "Don't be, you couldn't have known."

Sapphire smiled. "I'm glad you're okay."

Serena nodded and smiled reassuringly before turning back towards Raye and Chad. "Can you drop me off?"

"Of course," Chad immediately answered. "Darien, are you…?" he trailed, waiting for him to advise on his mode of transportation home.

"I'll grab an Uber. Get Serena home," Darien instructed as he reached for his phone, only to be interrupted by Serena abating his plan.

"Don't be ridiculous, you don't need to Uber," Serena insisted. She smiled when she watched Darien nod and put his phone away. The group made their way over to Chad's SUV and piled in, Serena sitting behind Chad, Darien behind Raye.

It was a quiet ride, aside from Chad announcing that he would take Darien home first, as he was closest. She stared out the window, enjoying the cool temperature of the glass while her mind raced.

She shifted her eyes over to Darien, who was looking out his window as well. The space between them, both physically and emotionally, weighed more on her mind than what just happened. She was a strong woman; she knew she could process and move on from what just happened to her. Serena knew her support system, her best friends, would be there in an instant to help her work through anything that should she find herself struggling to absorb.

She didn't just want her friends, though.

She wanted, needed, _him_.

Her heart raced as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, her thumb hovered over the neon green icon. With a quick tab of her fingers, she let out the breath she was holding as she placed the phone back in her lap. Her ears perked up when she heard the vibration on the other side of the bench, her peripherals watching as he looked at his phone screen.

 _Can I come back with you tonight?_

She smiled bashfully when she felt his hand hover over hers in response.

#

It never ceased to amaze Serena how a hot shower could cure almost everything, especially when under one that spouted out like a waterfall. She sighed as she turned off the nob, reaching for and wrapping the fluffy towel around her. Darien's bathroom was pretty much the size of her apartment, but it was worth every square footage, filled with luxurious amenities and fixtures. She never, ever felt bad about taking advantage of it. Her hand itched to use the steam, but refused, her mind weighed down with another matter.

Drying herself off, she slipped on Darien's shorts and t-shirt before exiting the room. She briefly shivered as she left the warm confines of the bathroom, but her heart warmed her immediately. Darien was in the kitchen, a red kettle in hand, pouring two cups of what looked like hot water. A tender side she had never seen before, she leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen, watching as he methodically dipped a tea diffuser in each cup before covering them with fitted lids.

 _He would have tea diffusers instead of teabags_ , she mused internally. He must have felt eyes on him, because he suddenly turned around.

"Is peppermint okay? I thought it would be good to help you relax." She nodded. He picked them up, passing one cup and saucer off to her, before proceeding into the living room. Darien sat in the chair whereas she sat opposite of him on the loveseat, the distance between them still prevalent.

The tea sat on the table, steeping as the two of them sat silently. She wanted to tell him, and knew what she wanted to say, but she couldn't find the introduction. After all, how to even announce such a subject? _Hey, I'm actually a pretty fucked up person, nice to truly show you?_

"I'm sorry." Her head lifted. His stormy blue eyes focused on her, holding eye contact, sincerity radiating out of the two-syllable word. "I never, ever meant to say something so cruel to you. Especially something that isn't true." He uncrossed his legs before leaning his torso in. "You are a gifted, talented writer, and I'm sorry if I made you feel anything less than that."

Goosebumps. Not quite chills, but it was a feeling she did not get often. Normally she was the one apologizing for her buffoonery.

A smile twitched at the corner of her lips. "Thank you," she murmured.

Darien continued to watch her. She could tell he was struggling if he needed to say more, or let it rest. She was about to open her mouth, try and explain why she was so upset that night of her birthday, only to surprise her with a confession of his own.

"Nehelania," he started. Serena's ears snapped to attention, the crude, catty woman's image resurfacing in his mind. "I know I told you that she was my ex-girlfriend from college." Serena watched Darien's facial expressions, as if he was struggling to get the words out. "It's a lot more," he paused, "complicated, than that."

"Complicated?" Serena repeated quietly. He nodded.

"I didn't date in high school. I focused on my studies. I was determined to get into a good University. But when I met Nehl, it was… intense. I didn't know how to handle it." He paused again, as if he was searching for the right words.

"She told me that she loved me. I panicked. I saw expectations and commitments instead of feelings and desires. Instead of reciprocating, I reacted in anger. And because of that anger, I drove her to sleep with my best friend."

"What?" Serena breathed, her eyes wide with surprise.

"I knew my buddy Asanuma was in to her, but I didn't think anything would happen. I was stupid, blind to what was happening in front of me. He said all the things that I didn't. Or couldn't, I guess. When I found them in bed together, I swore off dating."

"Oh, Darien," Serena sadly replied. He shook his head.

"It worked in a sense that I got to where I wanted to be in my career. But, after I met you, those rules I lived by, I didn't want to abide by them anymore. I don't want to anymore."

Her heart both leapt and ached, overflowing with emotion. She could feel her legs wanting to power off the couch and dive into his arms, but she willed herself to stay seated.

She had confessing of her own to do first.

It was surprisingly easy, Serena thought to herself, as the words flooded out of her. About Diamond, the way he treated her, how he hurt her. She explained how the emotional abuse and the shocking revelations of infidelity and physicality impeded so many of her relationships. He listened and nodded along, reluctant not to inquire further than she was willing to explain.

The anger dissolved with each sentence, anger she didn't even know she was holding on to. A calm coursed through her when she reached the end of her admission.

She exhaled.

All those years, she reflected, of holding on to the resentment she felt, it took one person to knock down those barriers.

Tears sprung to her eyes. "It wasn't until I thought I lost you," she confessed softly, "that I realized how much hatred I still carried. How untrusting I was, how quick I was to assume the worst." She feverishly wiped at her eyes before she made eye contact with him.

"I'm sorry, too."

The corners of his lips curled into a smile that made her heart burst. One so sweet, she could feel honey trickle through her veins.

They found reconciliation.

There wasn't more that needed to be said, they mutually agreed as they continued to look into each other's eyes. Instead, he stood up while extending his hand out to her. She shyly placed it in his, her heart racing as he led her into his bedroom.

Lying down in the bed, he took her into his arms. The only noise between them their steady breathing as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close under the covers. Her eyelids grew heavy under the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat, the warmth of his body allowing the sleepiness to overtake her system.

Before she fell asleep, she heard it. It was barely a whisper, an expression more for him than it was to her.

A phrase she had missed weeks before, but one that meant so much.

 _Don't think; just feel_.


	18. Chapter 18

_Well, everyone, here it is, the final chapter! I can't believe that it's actually here. It's bittersweet. While I'm excited to conclude this story, I'm also sad. This one has been such a joy to write, and I thank each and every one of you for your reviews. Honestly, your complements and excitement added that fuel to my fire, and reading your notes added such happiness to my life._

 _I hope you enjoy the final chapter below!_

 _Love, MU_

* * *

 _Six Weeks Later_

Darien sipped at his coffee, seemingly ignoring the flash of blonde hair darting around in the vicinity. He continued to focus on the paper as opposed to the near-meltdown that was about to happen.

"THIS," Serena shrieked as she hopped on the balls of her feet, desperately trying to zip up her dress, "IS WHY I SAID NO WHEN YOU GOT IN THE SHOWER WITH ME."

He chuckled, but continued to read an article on wealth fund moves. "You weren't exactly protesting," he mumbled as he flipped on to the next page.

"Ooooooh," she scorned, unable to object. He lifted his head and smiled at her as she continued to struggle with the zipper. "Help me, please?" she pleaded as she lifted her hands in defeat.

Shifting up from his seat, he walked over to Serena, who was in the process of lifting her hair. "Ah, you've got a piece of fabric stuck in here," Darien announced as he wedged it free, the zipper sliding up the back of her dress in ease.

"Oh thank God, for a moment I thought I was putting on weight or something," Serena sighed in relief. She let her hand open, the blonde hair falling in waves to her mid-back, a crown of earth-toned flowers with a bowed ribbon nestled on her head.

His eyes lingered. She looked unequivocally beautiful. Mina certainly had no qualms picking out bridesmaid dresses that were stunning, putting the myth of intentionally ugly bridesmaid dresses to bed.

As his eyes roamed, he placed his hands gently on her hips. His fingertips caressed the textured fabric of the rose-gold dress, slightly risen against the cloth, yet smooth like chiffon. He closed his eyes, savoring in the sensual moment before having to part ways from her. She smelt of roses and apricots, a subtle scent that made his heart beat when in his proximity. She stilled as he hovered closer to her backside, his fingers unmoving as he leaned in closer to her ear.

"Your shoes are in the library," he whispered.

"Oh, shit!" she cried as she shuffled to the library, the intimacy of the moment shattered as she scurried away. He threw his head back and laughed as she returned, hopping on one foot trying to slip the tan colored shoe on.

"You might want to sit for that," he teased, eliciting a frown.

"Yeah, you might want to shut up now," she replied as she plopped into the chair, slipping her slender foot into the caged heel. "Why the fuck Mina thought these shoes were a good idea," Serena grumbled as she wiggled her one foot in.

"They look uncomfortable."

She shrugged, only to have a quick change of heart after she shuffled over to the floorlength mirror. "Ohhhh, now I see what she was thinking. Damn! That woman, she's a genius, a genius I tell you!" Serena praised as she profiled herself, twisting her limbs while posing.

"10:15," Darien responded with a glance at his watch.

"Shit shit shit!" Serena cried, ceasing her self-vogue session before pulling herself away from the mirror and over to her bag. "Please tell me you made coffee."

He nodded his head. "On the counter."

"Oh thank god!" Grabbing the silver container, she flipped open the lid and took in a lengthy sip, only for her eyes to nearly bulge out of her head. Darien raised an eyebrow in question as he watched her lips purse in protest while she swallowed. "Gah!" she cried. "What the hell?!"

"What?"

"It's… ugh!" she over-exaggeratedly announced as she made a putrid face.

"What do you mean 'it's ugh?' You have a problem with my coffee?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. What is wrong with it? It tastes bitter."

"I have these beans imported thank you very much."

"From where, the asshole of the south? Why is it so bold?"

"It's French pressed."

"The fuck?!"

"What?"

"Couldn't you just make some _normal_ coffee?"

"This **is** normal coffee."

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is!"

"And what's worse, it's black!"

"Yeah, that's the correct way to drink coffee."

"Please tell me you have cream in the fridge."

He rolled his eyes. "Yes," he admitted in annoyance.

"Thank God," she praised as she darted over to the fridge.

"You're just going to ruin it," he declared aloud to the body that was head-deep in his refrigerator. She reappeared quickly, a container of creamer in her hand.

"You know what, you go ahead and drink your hot bean water," she said dismissively as she twisted the lid open to her coffee. "I'm going to go ahead and add cream because I love myself."

A chuckle escaped his mouth as she dumped the cream into her coffee, only to have a full smile break free as she animatedly spun the top back on to her cup and took in a long, exaggerated sip.

It just… fell out.

She stopped. "What did you say?" she asked, her mouth slightly parted, her eyes wide with a look of apprehension. For a moment, he was stunned himself.

Their eyes met, and in that exchange, he saw everything: fear. Uncertainty. Vulnerability. Understanding.

Commitment.

Slowly, he made his way to her, never breaking eye contact. She turned her body to face him, her chest rising and falling quickly in anticipation of what was next. Words once so difficult to say, it strangely hurt more to try to hold them back. He placed his hands on her forearms before pulling her closer, pressing his head against her forehead. "I said," he repeated softly, "that I love you."

Her mouth remained ajar, her eyes still focused on him. "You do?"

He nodded his head against hers. "Yeah," he reaffirmed, both for her and himself, "yeah, I do."

Anticipation washed over him as she remained silent, her breathing still rapid as she remained in his arms. Internal panic briefly began to surface when he saw her eyes water, but it was a smile, one as bright as the sun, illuminating his soul as it stretched across her face, that all apprehension washed away.

"I love you, too," she whispered. He could feel her body relax in his arms as the words came out, those same fears he felt not moments ago dissipating. He cupped her face, stroking his thumb against her cheek, taking notice of the rosy complexion shining brighter than the blush that grazed her cheekbones.

He nudged her chin up with his thumb. Her lips parted, tinted a color that reminded him of raspberries, as she took in a sharp breath. He leaned in and captured her lips, closing his eyes to caress her mouth with his own. Lips so familiar, yet a kiss so different, it sent shocks throughout his system. Her hands found their way to the back of his neck, her fingers slipping into the nape of his neck. His hand slid up her jawbone until he cupped the back of her neck and kissed her again, intensely, tenderly, possessive in his touch.

Desire swept through his system as their kiss intensified, forcing himself to break away from her. Her eyes fluttered open, his heart swelling when her bright, blue eyes glancing back at him. As much as he wanted to stare into them longer, relishing in the tenderness and love he could see them expressing, he knew that she needed to be at the church.

"10:32," he whispered, snickering when she crashed back into realty.

"Oh, no, Mina's going to kill me!" she exasperated as she tugged on his cuff, effectively dragging him behind her. The passionate moment quickly dimished as she scooped up her bags and waddled out the door, desperately trying to balance her purse, make up bag, overnight bag, garment bag, and maintain her balance. He plucked a few of the items out of her hands to help once the door closed behind them, watching her as she readjusted herself while they waited for the elevator to arrive.

He realized a few weeks ago just how strongly he felt about her. He was sitting on his chair, focused on reviewing yet another contract, when unexpectedly she just came up and kissed him. No big deal, just kissed him right on his temple. It completely caught him off-guard. Then, she bounced away, no expectations or follow-up, onward in to another room.

The act left him frazzled. For the first time, he found himself _wanting_ her to expect him to respond. He dropped the contract on his desk and followed her, finding her humming along with a pop song as she washed up the dishes from their earlier dinner. She looked at peace, radiance shining off her as she stared mindlessly out the window.

He snuck up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He buried himself in the crook of her neck, taking in a greedy inhale of her perfume. He relished in the warmth of her body, suspended in the feel of her skin against his. She tiled her head back, only for him to savor in it more. It was peaceful. Loving.

Although the act was so simple, it brought a stillness to his life he hardly experienced.

A warmth he never wanted to let go.

#

Serena dabbed at her eyes before erupting into applause, Mina and Mal kissing on the alter after the preacher declared to the congregation the blessings of marriage. Love shined throughout the building, decorated modestly in earth-toned florals and cream and pink satin ribbons. The newlyweds ascended the aisle, Mina's lacy, shimmering train gliding against the ruby red runner. Serena followed behind Lita and Raye as they rejoined with their partnered groomsmen. She linked on to Eric's arm, a colleague of Malachite, but her eyes immediately found Darien's out in the crowd. She waved her arm in his direction, which was currently clasping a bouquet of magenta and coral peonies, orange roses and mini white and yellow poms as they made their way to the back of the church before heading out for a two hour photo session in a Rose Garden not too far away from the reception hall.

The photos came and went, and as they made the drive to the hotel, Serena laughed happily along her best friends on the bench seat of the limo, sipping champagne and singing along to the various songs. Family and friends stood outside the entryway, waving their hands as the limo pulled into the parking lot, the girls giggling as they pointed out their men in the crowd. It warmed Serena's heart that the men were all friendly with each other, allowing a healthy balance of spending time with her best friends and her boyfriend.

Once the driver opened the door, Mina and Mal were curtained with bubbles, a fun twist on the old-fashioned rice throwing tradition. The bridal party followed, filing out of the limo and into the grand lobby of the old-fashioned hotel. When Mina had announced she picked the Azabu Grand Victorian Hotel, known for its antique charms and illustrious décor, Serena was slightly surprised. Mina was all about what was up-and-coming, a trendsetter so to speak. However, when Mina described her vision: a Bohemian-Victorian mash-up, it made sense. After all, Mina's gown, form fitting, high-collared lace, and the tiniest beading stitched in that she sparkled, was the perfect mix of the two genres. With the chandeliers, ceiling-height windows, and gold lighting illuminating throughout the ballroom, it really made Mina's vision come to life. The tables, dressed with white lace and rose gold tablecloths, included tall vases, filled with greenery and various white and orange flowers that poured over the edges generously.

As expected, the bridal party joined the married couple at the head table. Once the girls placed their flowers at their seats, Serena, Lita, and Raye shuffled off to the bar to join their dates for a drink before the speeches began. Serena slipped in to Darien's lap, his declaration still singing in her ears as she leaned her head against him. It was more intimate than she usually was, especially in public, but on this day of so much love, she could not resist. He did not object, either, as she noticed he placed his arm possessively around her waist, holding her in closer while they conversed with their friends.

"We've got to get over there," Raye announced to the girls shortly after finishing their drinks. Serena pouted slightly. She had been enjoying the intimacy of the moment and didn't really want to move away from Darien's arms.

"Okay," she acknowledged, placing a kiss on top of Darien's head before slipping out of his arms. "I'll see you later," she said as she parted, Raye and Lita immediately by her side.

"Spill," Raye said once they were out of earshot, causing Serena's eyebrows to raise.

"Spill what?"

"Oh, come on," Lita nudged, "you two were practically humping each other on that seat. What gives?"

"No we weren't!" Serena practically shrieked, her face turning red.

"I'm surprised his hand didn't wind up the back of your dress with how intense you two were!"

"Shut up!"

"So, spill," Raye asked again before Lita could embarrass Serena any further. "Something's different."

As the girls sat down, Serena sandwiched in between the two interrogators, she bashfully smiled as she picked at her bouquet.

"He told me he loves me," Serena said softly, a tender smile creeping on her face.

"Oh my god!" Lita cried out, placing a hand on Serena's arm before covering her mouth from the decibal she delivered.

"No way," Raye said with a grin, her eyes widening. "And?"

"I said it back," Serena answered before she was engulfed in a bar hug from both girls.

"Oh my God Sereeeeeena," Lita cried out as she squeezed her arms. "I'm so freaking happy for you!"

"It's about time!" Raye declared as she shifted her weight back into her chair.

"What does that mean?" Serena asked with a laugh.

"Oh, please. You two have been at this stage for weeks, it's about time you said something."

"You could tell?" Serena asked, her eyes widening.

"Duh," Mina chimed in, who seemed to materialize out of no where. The girls shifted their gaze onto the beautiful bride, her dazzling smile alluding that she overheard the conversation. "Oh my God Sere, I'm so happy for you!"

"And I'm so happy for you!"

"And I'm so happy for ALL of us!" Lita said with a raise of her glass.

"Damn straight!" Raye said as she lifted her glass.

"To kicking ass!"

"Finding love!"

"And sticking together through it all!"

"Congratulations, Mina!" the girls cried out before clinging their glasses.

The speeches began, the three girls giving a sappy, heartfelt speech about what it means to have Mina as a best friend. It started off tender, full of memories from their yesteryears, but they hit the heartstrings when they told her how they know that Malachite is going to be her new best friend. After all, the happiest marriages come from marrying your best friend. But, they warned, he better watch out, because they'll always be a constant in Mina's life, no matter where life takes them. Mina started sobbing midway through, dabbing her eyes before clinging on to the three girls. It was a moment none of them would ever forget.

Once recovered from the waterworks, dinner commenced, followed by the first dance. Malachite and Mina were flawless as they waltzed on the dancefloor, reminding Serena of the time Darien showed her how to ballroom dance. It was one of the first true moments in their relationship she could feel the intimacy between them, which had both excited and startled her. Her eyes wandered from Mina over to Darien. He, too, had turned to look at Serena. From the smile that was on his face, she could tell he was thinking the same thing, too.

After the waltz ended and the applause died down, the DJ began to play an upbeat mix of music. "Ladies?" Serena asked as she looked between Raye and Lita, who were already lifting up out of their seats to get on to the dancefloor. The group crossed the room over to their dates, the men currently engaged in a discussion over their drinks.

"Hey, come dance with us!" Lita cried out as the three girls reached the table, only for Nate to swat the air with his hand.

"In a minute," he dismissed. "So you're telling me," he redirected his attention to Darien, "that if I own 2,000 companies in my portfolio, and 10% go bankrupt, I'm still going to be fine?"

"Absolutely," Darien answered as he sipped back his bourbon. "For me, it comes down to the law of large numbers. I'd rather own small pieces of 2,000 companies than 100% of one company."

"Well when you explain it like that," Nate said with a shake of his head. "Damn, that makes a lot of sense when you say it that way."

"Bottom line," Darien said with a slap on Nate's shoulder, "the broader your portfolio is, the likelier you are to weather a market storm."

"What's this about broadening your portfolio?" Lita asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Nothing!" Nate said defensively. "I'm just asking!"

"Uh huh. You trying to become a venture capitalist or something?"

"No!"

"Darien?" she asked with a glare, one that Darien did not falter under, Serena noticed.

"Nothing like that, honestly," Darien said with his hands up. "I was just explaining diversification."

"401-k stuff," Chad interjected. "Portfolios for later in life."

"Uh huh," the three girls said with a cross of their arms.

"Anyway," Raye interjected, "we're dancing. Come join us when you finish this conversation." Linking arms, the girls shimmied into the middle of the dancefloor, twisting and shaking to the beat of the music amongst the crowd.

As she danced happily among her friends, she took a moment to think about how blessed she was to have her friends in her life. From high school to university, through love and loss, the girls were her rock, her foundation.

Her heart thumped, albeit a different reason. Turning her head, she looked over in the direction where she felt eyes on her. She was glad to see the familiar pair of navy blues watching her as he leaned against the pillar of the ballroom.

She held his gaze as he smiled at her.

Her feet glided across the floor in great stride until she was practically running, leaping into his open arms. As he spun her around, she squealed in happiness before he slid her body down until her feet touched the floor. Their foreheads pressed for a moment before their lips touched, a tender kiss shared before breaking apart to dance with each other.

Darien. Her heart beat wildly for him. A man she never thought she would fall for, her heart leaving behind all original misgivings she once held. She sent a silent prayer of thanks, appreciative that he came in to her life. Even in their brief time together, she had some so far. From their intense arguments, she learned so much about herself. How she would build walls to stop any one from holding her heart, how she would use arguing to drive men away.

She laughed inwardly; who would have thought, that if it had not been for that one review and their original criticisms they held, they wouldn't be here, learning from each other, falling in love. She wouldn't have moved on from the anger and resentment she held on to all long, ready to start the next chapter of her life.

After all, she resolved while she kissed him again, it can't start until you turn the page and start reading the next sentence.

 _The End_

* * *

 _WAIIIIIIII~!_

 _Thank you again SO MUCH for reading this! So many of you have been here since I started this story, and I thank you so, so much for your support along the way._

 _Also, a special shoutout to CassieRaven, who suggested the coffee bean line to include in one of my stories when I reposted something similar on tumblr. Once you suggested that I was like OHMYGOD I NEED TO USE THIS. Hahahaha!_

 _I have another story in mind to start up, but it probably won't be for a few weeks! It's called "Failure to Launch," and it's mostly humor, but it is a UsaxMamo romance._

 _In the meantime, have a very enjoyable Easter/Passover, happy Spring, and once again, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all your support._

 _Very Truly Yours,_

 _MU (aka Kristi)_


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